LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -Earlier this month, construction began on the Glenn Korff School of Music. The $75 million project will add 75,000 square feet to the school’s buildings.

The new Westbrook building will have more collaboration space and updated classrooms, including high quality sound and video. The Kimbal Recital Hall will also be updated. Both buildings’ exteriors will be transformed, said Interim Director of Glenn Korff School of Music Alan Mattingly.

This project is funded by the state of Nebraska through a bill passed in April of 2021, LB 384.

“It shows a strong confidence from the state and the University for our music performance, music education and dance program,” said Mattingly.

The new project will also create a new entrance to city campus between campus and the Haymarket. The new entrance will also be home to the historic kissing columns, which used to be by Memorial Stadium.

Acoustics make it difficult to relocated School of Music classes, so during construction, students will still have class in Westbrook. Because of the inability to move classes to other buildings, the construction project will first expand the building into the parking lot next to 10th street. When the new portion is finished, the program will move into the new portion and updates will be made in the original, said Brook Hay from UNL Facilities

“The school of music is a really impressive program, knowing the facilities are quite restrictive to them. They got the grit and are still persevering through that,” said Hay. “It will be very exciting to say, ‘Here is a new facility.’”

The new building is scheduled to be ready for students in spring of 2025.

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