Demolition has begun to make way for the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex at Missouri State University.
The new complex is being described as a new community “front porch” for the arts, social sciences and humanities.
During a demolition kick-off ceremony Monday, Tim Reynolds, whose gift is making the project possible along with a gift from the C.W. Titus Foundation, took the first swing with a sledgehammer at the MSU Art Annex on Grand just west of National.
Others took turns after him, tearing into one of the walls of the building.
The annex will be torn down soon, and the new arts complex is expected to be completed in late spring or summer of 2026.
The current building dates back to WWII and was one of the barracks at Camp Crowder in Neosho. It was last renovated in the late 80s, according to MSU Foundation Executive Director Brent Dunn.
Shawn Wahl, dean of the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at MSU, said the new arts complex will include new acting and dance studios, a modernized black box theatre space, a new scene shop and a significant renovation of nearby Craig Hall.
He said phase 1 of what he called the transformation plan in the Reynolds College included the renovation of Ellis Hall, which was finished in 2017, and the next year, they became an All Steinway School with the purchase of 52 new pianos. A short time later, they purchased Brick City and opened the Corolla Exhibition Center. Phase 2 included the John Goodman Amphitheatre and the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Arts Park.
The idea for phase 3, the arts complex, came about during a walk with Reynolds, himself and Brent Dunn. He said the dream began with the Reynolds Scholars Fund, the largest scholarship gift in MSU's history, which evolved into a structural dream.
"This walk on campus inspired that big idea, which involved replacing this art annex with a state-of-the-art facility and the renovation of Craig Hall," he said.
Sarah Wiggin, a professor of theatre and dance and artistic director of Tent Theatre at MSU, said the old building has served them well, but she’s excited for the new arts complex, especially for the scene shop.
"We don't have a designated scene shop," she said, "and so that really forces our season schedule to go a particular way, right? Because we have to build on our large proscenium stage for all of the shows."
The eight-figure gift from the C.W. Titus Foundation for the art annex and Craig Hall renovation is the largest one-time, single gift in university history.
The university also received a state appropriation of $17.5 million to support the project.
