Wofford College – Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts

When Wofford College decided to build the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, Robins & Morton was involved from the project’s inception. This facility would be a significant structure on the Wofford campus, and would require the demolition of 10 fraternity houses before construction, before becoming home to academic programs in theatre arts, visual arts and art history. Robins & Morton’s early involvement to ensure superior value and efficiency throughout the building process was critical to the first building on campus completely dedicated to the arts program, featuring a theatre, artistic rooms and studios, and a café.

Despite several challenges, such as flooding rainfall, limited delivery access to the site, and limited workforce, the project’s collaborative atmosphere proved beneficial in overcoming any obstacles faced. Throughout all phases, the Robins & Morton-led project team evaluated processes and conducted constructibility exercises to identify value-engineering opportunities. Their ability to collaborate and assess the project throughout allowed for a completion that was on-time and under budget.

The 65,000-square-foot arts center is home to the best theater facilities of their type in Upstate South Carolina. The facility has a 100-seat Black Box theater, sculpting room, painting room, 3D digital studio and 2D room, upper and lower museums, acting room, café and courtyard with amphitheater seating.

This particular project is the recipient of one national and one regional Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction Awards. The project was also named ENR Southeast’s 2018 Best Projects for the Higher Education/Research category.

Owner

Wofford College

Location

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Architect

McMillan Pazdan Smith

Size

68,000 SF

Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Main lobby of Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts upper gallery
Theater in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Theater in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Main lobby of the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts
Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts

Robins & Morton has been a true partner in this project, looking out for Wofford’s best interests throughout.

The project was challenging – from constructing the Jerome Johnson Richardson Theatre and the Sallenger Sisters Black Box Theatre to very detailed specifications, producing the best theater facilities of their types in the entire upstate of South Carolina, to creating excellent, specialized classroom and studio facilities, to providing gallery and museum spaces designed to professionally exhibit valuable artwork and artifacts.

The construction team did a great job coordinating the overall project and the numerous components needed to create a facility that encompasses Wofford’s theatre and arts program superbly.

Dr. Nayef Samhat,  President Wofford College

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