By WVUA 23 News Student Reporter Kennedy Payne
The University of Alabama broke ground on the Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts on Friday.
Plans for the center were first discussed in 2017, and the groundbreaking commemorated years of fundraising for the facility.
The center will be used as a venue for theater, dance and opera student performances.
In 2022, Clay Smith and his wife, both graduates of the university, made a $20 million donation toward the project in honor of Smith’s father.
“He always instilled the arts into our family. So I keep on saying it’s for generations of Smiths. So, yes this is to pay homage not only to my father, but also to the earlier Smith generations that provided that spark that is still igniting our passion today,” Smith said.
University of Alabama President Stuart Bell expressed his excitement for the center at the ceremony.
“Well first and foremost, it’s all for our students. And certainly to be having the facility like this that is going to match their incredible talents is so exciting. I think it’s so exciting for the arts community. It’s so exciting for our students to see what they’ll be able to achieve at the university,” Bell said.
But he also said there is still work to be done before the building can be opened.
“I think we should have ordered another hundred shovels and we could have all sped it up. But we hope to continue moving forward in as fast as a process as possible. But a lot of work has to be done. If you’ve seen the renderings for this facility, it is tremendous. So we’re beginning work today, and we’ll continue to work as hard as we can to get this facility open so our students can begin enjoying the great, new performing arts center,” Bell said.
UA Dean of Arts and Sciences Joseph Messina said the center is expected to open in 2026 and will provide students with unique advantages.
“We’re building one of the best facilities in the country. The performing arts here, opera, theatre, and dance, will have one of those places that they simply won’t have opportunities to perform any other places. It’s going to be unique and transformative for the university,” Messina said.