Four summer construction projects

Four construction projects are in motion at William Carey University’s Hattiesburg campus. They all have the same deadline – completion before students arrive on campus for start of the fall semester.

THOMAS FINE ARTS CENTER

Thomas Fine Arts Center has been a part of campus life for more than 60 years. It’s where Carey students, employees and friends gather for concerts, chapel services, operas, guest speakers, youth camps, and commencement ceremonies.

The building Carey calls “TFA” has seen ups and downs. Major repairs were needed in 2017 after an EF3 tornado struck campus. In 2019, a new elevator was installed. Tuscan Studios, a high-tech recording and audio lab, opened in 2022.

More changes are under way this summer as workers undertake a renovation of TFA’s auditorium. In the first phase, they gutted the space, right down to the floor. The re-built auditorium will feature:

New theatre-style seating
Carpeted aisles with safety lights
Acoustic ceiling/panels to improve sound
Dramatic new design and color palette
Audio-visual equipment
And in front of TFA, a new sidewalk allows easier pedestrian access to the building.

ART DEPARTMENT

For many years, William Carey University’s art classes met in borrowed spaces at the Hattiesburg campus. But a new, modern home for the WCU Art Department is under construction at the corner of Cherry Street and Tommy King Drive.

The 6,400-square-foot building with high, vaulted ceilings will include studio spaces for drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture. There will be gallery space for exhibitions – and lots of sunlight streaming through the building’s many windows. The open interior is meant to enable free communication among students and instructors.

Jeff Revette, chair of the WCU Art Department, said the decision to approve a new building came after three-fold growth in the number of art majors over the last two years.

TWO DORM RENOVATIONS

Last summer, William Carey University renovated Bryant Hall, one of the older dormitories on campus. Two more dorms are on the “to-do list” this summer – Polk Hall, built in 1962, and Bass Hall, which opened in 1963.

Upgrades include: new air-conditioning units in each room; modernization of bathrooms, including new showers, sinks, toilets, mirrors and floor tiles; and renovation of the lobbies, including new finishes and furniture.