Students who love performing arts will soon have a new home at Southwestern College. Southwestern College’s student-run Mariachi Garibaldi will have a new stage to perform their world-renowned music. The Dance Department will have brand new performance spaces. Student set designers will have a new space to build and design their sets.
The new Performance Arts Center, which broke ground on Sept. 10, is set to be completed in the summer of 2020.
“The arts are not just about drawing, acting, dancing, or playing an instrument, they are a critical component for brain development and giving students access and ease into learning. The arts transform students into scholar, leaders, and college graduates,” said Governing Board President Griselda Delgado.
Let’s take a look at the new Performing Arts Center.
Where it’s Going
The 48,000 square-foot facility will be located next to the new Wellness & Aquatics Complex, on the corner of Otay Lakes Road and East H Street. This highly anticipated addition to the Chula Vista campus was designed by Tucker Sadler Architects and is being built by Rudolph and Sletten, the same construction company currently building our new Math, Science and Engineering Building.
Take a Peek Inside
Here’s a sneak peek of what our new Performing Arts Center will include:
- A 500-seat auditorium
- A 151-black box theatre
- New classrooms
- A stage construction lab
- A new facility for dance classes and performances
This new addition to the college is funded by Proposition Z. Prop. Z, Southwestern College’s $400 million general obligation bond, was passed by South Bay voters in November 2016 with record approval. Among the next phase of projects are a new Student Union and an expansion of the Higher Education Center in San Ysidro.
