Signs of ProgRess

At the October groundbreaking event for the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, the project’s lead architect Ann Beha told the students and staff assembled, “There will be much disruption in the months ahead—in architecture, we call that progress!” The visual cues on campus of this particular type of progress are many: an “Emma red” construction fence has gone up encircling the chapel and the soon-to-be annex, site work has been completed in partnership with local officials and inspectors, 46 pews from the chapel were claimed by Emma alums in preparation for the interior renovation, and the construction crew from Consigli Construction—a locally owned and operated firm—are now regular visitors to Mount Ida. In October, we began the site excavation of the center, making the first step toward a community gathering space and new home for the arts at the heart of Emma’s campus!