West Valley College invites neighbors to sign its new Performing Arts Center at a Nov. 12 groundbreaking; RSVPs due Friday

West Valley College is asking the public, not just its students and staff, to turn out for the ceremonial start of its new Performing Arts Center, and it wants replies by Friday, Nov. 6.

The groundbreaking runs from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, next to the ground floor of the Visual Arts Building at the northeast corner of the Saratoga campus. Guests will be able to add their signatures to the building, watch a shovel ceremony and hear a performance by West Valley music students, with light snacks afterward, the college said.

Tours in hard hats

Before the ceremony, short tours of the building layout will run from 3 to 3:30 p.m. Hard hats and other safety gear will be provided, closed-toe shoes are required, and each tour is limited to six people on a first-come basis. The college's event map points visitors to Parking Lots 1 and 7 and suggests entering from Allendale Avenue.

What is being built

The 49,000-square-foot center will replace the campus music building and fully renovate and seismically strengthen the existing theater, both dating to the 1970s. Plans call for:

a theater of up to 275 seats
a 2,200-square-foot room for instrumental rehearsals and performances
a 2,100-square-foot black box space
an 1,800-square-foot choral rehearsal room
classrooms, practice rooms, a lobby and a music library

Students helped shape the design and named one outdoor area the Jam Lawn, a spot for playing music between classes. A space at the back of the site called the Hub will double as a student lounge and a green room for performers.

A district construction notice said the music and theater buildings and the northern end of Lot 7 would be closed behind fencing starting March 30, with work scheduled through June 30, 2028, and warned of added truck traffic, dust and noise.

Sources

westvalley.edu

wvm.edu

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