Hendrix College to build Miller Creative Quad

CONWAY — Hendrix College will begin construction on the new Miller Creative Quad in 2018.

The Miller Creative Quad is part of the college’s $110 million Be Hendrix campaign. The quad is named for Hendrix alumna and Board of Trustees member Carolyn L. Miller, ’74, and her husband, David B. Miller, of Dallas, Texas, who provided the initial funding for the project through the David B. Miller Family Foundation.

The new $24 million ($16 million construction, $8 million endowment) mixed-use project will include two buildings that will combine first-class facilities for the creative arts with new student living space on the current site of Hulen Hall.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Miller family, along with many Hendrix alumni, corporations, foundations and friends, we are thrilled to begin construction on the Miller Creative Quad,” Hendrix President Bill Tsutsui said. “Not only will this exciting project provide new facilities for our students and faculty; it will bring new energy to the heart of campus for the entire community to enjoy and experience.”

The Creative Quad will include two new residence halls on the second and third floors of the two buildings. The new residence halls will feature single and double rooms and study space for 100 students.

“When I ask alumni about their fondest memories at Hendrix, they immediately tell me it was their professors and the friendships and experiences they had with classmates living on campus,” Tsutsui said. “The Creative Quad’s new student living space will enable us to begin the longterm revitalization and update of our six heritage residence halls, which have been home to generations of students at Hendrix.”

The south building of the Creative Quad will feature music practice rooms, music faculty offices and a digital music lab.

There will also be a 990-square-foot auditorium with an industry-standard film-screening room. The auditorium will serve the college’s growing film studies program, as well as movie events organized by student clubs and organizations, and will accommodate guest speakers for special events.

A focal point of the Miller Creative Quad will be the new Windgate Museum of Art in the north building. In 2016, Hendrix received a $10 million grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation of Siloam Springs to support the museum’s construction and endowment. The Windgate Foundation has previously supported arts and religiouslife programming, as well as scholarship opportunities, at Hendrix.

“The new art museum will ensure that the arts are a fundamental part of every Hendrix student’s experience. It will be a tremendous resource for classes, hands-on learning projects, internships, interdisciplinary collaboration and visiting artists throughout the region,” Tsutsui said. “It will also be an incredible asset for the community, further supporting the quality of life and amenities we enjoy in Conway and The Natural State.”

The Miller Creative Quad was designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock.

Nabholz Corp. of Conway will be the general contractor for the project. Construction of the Miller Creative Quad will begin after Commencement 2018 in May. The Creative Quad’s new residence halls are scheduled to open in fall 2019.

“We wanted the Creative Quad to be consistent with the historic architecture of our campus, while also introducing dramatic new elements, including glass exterior walls and a rooftop deck, that showcase the creative spirit of the visual and performing arts,” Tsutsui said.