After 57 years of use, the old Faculty Art Studios, located between the Hawkeye Tennis Rec Complex and the Hawkeye Commuter Parking Lot, will be demolished this spring.

Originally built in 1963, the one-story, 6,5000 square foot building had fallen into disrepair, withstanding damages that were too great for many faculty members to carry out their work effectively. Its replacement building was completed last September and stands within the UI’s Oakdale Research Park.

According to a proposal document from the UI to the State of Iowa Property and Facilities Committee, the razing of the old studios is a small part of a larger project that includes the demolition of several other campus buildings, including Seashore Hall and the Communications Center. Since this larger project is not just for the School of Art, the funding for it will come out of the Regent Treasurer’s Temporary Investment (TTI) funds, managed by the Iowa Legislative Fiscal Bureau, which provides project funds for all three of Iowa’s Board of Regent-governed public universities, the UI, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.

The proposal document stated that this larger project will save the UI nearly $35 million in deferred maintenance costs that older buildings would need to remain functional.

The demolition of the old studios and the construction of their new, up-to-date replacement will save $694,264 in estimated future maintenance.

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Assistant Professor of Printmaking Heather Parrish said that the condition of the old building varied between each studio. While some studios were mostly functional, others had unsustainable amounts of damage, especially after the 2020 derecho. She added that, functionally, there was still a lot of space available to those who did choose to work there.

“I, for one, appreciated the historic building charm, though there were some serious signs of wear. Pieces of the ceiling had fallen in, critters easily found their way in, the water was rust-colored as often as it was clear,” Parrish said. “All these things certainly needed to be addressed.”

The old studios will be demolished at the cost of about $80,000, according to the UI’s Facility Management website. This is only part of the total $195,000 allotted for the project, which includes the “abatement, design, demolition, and restoration of the old Faculty Art Studios site to a green space,” according to regent documents.

The new building, the Oakdale Studio Facility,  has given the faculty an updated, refreshing space. The new studios are located about six miles from the UI’s main campus, at Oakdale Research Park. The building contains 14 customizable studio spaces and was constructed with the current program’s needs and goals in mind.

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The new facilities feature two long alcoves with studio spaces off each one, as well as a shared gallery area for displaying artwork and storing shared equipment, wrote Andrew Casto, an associate professor of art and the program head of ceramics, in an email to The Daily Iowan. There will also be several up-to-date spaces for more niche areas of art, such as a large walk-in spray paint booth, and even a small covered outdoor working space.

“These spaces allow us improved access and ability to do this work with continued excellence,” Casto wrote in an email to the DI. “A new facility is a huge morale boost for all of us during this very challenging year.”

Director of the School of Art and Art History Steve McGuire said the new studios will ultimately provide an upgraded space where the Art Department faculty can effectively accomplish their work, and act as another example of how the UI stays true to the arts and faculty research.

“It’s an up-to-date facility specifically designed for the production of art,” McGuire said. “I’ve taught here for 32 years and there’s always been faculty studios, it’s just that these are the best studios we’ve had.”