<p>Others have mentioned this project here. </p>
<p><a href=“http://cw.ua.edu/2014/02/24/opera-theatre-finds-new-home/”>http://cw.ua.edu/2014/02/24/opera-theatre-finds-new-home/</a> However, this is NOT the main performing arts center that will be built in the near future, on the north side of the Main Bryce Hospital building. It’s good to see UA making good use of the newly acquired properties.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20140223/NEWS/140229836/1291/FRONTPAGE”>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20140223/NEWS/140229836/1291/FRONTPAGE</a> This article appears in the Tuscaloosa News today. It has a map showing how the Bryce campus will be used according to current plans. You can see the proposed performing arts center on the north side of the Main Bryce building in the center of the Bryce campus. I can’t fully access the article, due to limits on number of articles one can read for free in a certain month, so can someone here read it and share the main details? </p>
<p>The article you mention in the 2nd post (CC: give us back our #'ing system!!!) starts out talking about things from the hospital/mental health point of view, how they are completing the move to new facilities by June of 2014, etc.
Here are excerpts from the rest of the article as it relates to UA:<br>
"The university’s campus master plan proposes using the old Bryce grounds for new academic and residential buildings and recreational facilities while also preserving the green space of the main lawn.
"Plans for the hospital campus remain largely driven by the availability of funding, said Tim Leopard, UA’s assistant vice president for construction. The financial challenge for the university remains the cost of updating the aging buildings to current codes and for use in the university system, he said.
"Leopard said UA has not officially decided exactly what will go into the original hospital, though as part of the agreement space in the building will be set aside for a museum. The master plan suggestions include possible uses as a welcome center, cultural center and performing arts center in addition to the museum collection.
…
"The university took possession of the Alice Kidd buildings on the southeastern end of the property soon after the purchase, Leopard said. The buildings house the Environmental Health and Safety Department, the Office of Student Media, and the Theater and Dance Set Design Studio. … The Bryant Jordan Chapel has been converted into a performing arts studio.
"The Barnes Education Center at Bryce, which UA took over in mid-February, will house the College of Education Multiple Abilities Program and some other College of Education units. Plans are still being finalized for the Medical Arts Building, according to UA.
"On the west side of the property, UA plans to renovate the old paint shop building that sits adjacent to the Searcy building, which has already undergone renovations. Leopard said there are no specific plans at the moment for the buildings.
…discussion about roads…
"Earlier this month, the trustees approved a preliminary budget and beginning planning for a $31.4 million academic building to be located on the Bryce property across from Shelby Hall near the planned intersection of Hackberry Lane and Peter Bryce Boulevard.
"At the main property entrance on Campus Drive, the university plans to demolish the white obelisks that form the gateway and raise the road grade of Bryce Lawn Drive. There are also plans for sidewalks and landscaping as the hospital grounds are integrated into campus.
"To the east, UA will use the recently acquired Bryce east property to accommodate storm water management structures currently on the university side of McFarland Boulevard. The university plans more parking at the site of the existing storm water outfall that borders the lots on the northeastern side of Campus Drive, Leopard said.
"The system’s board of trustees approved an agreement to buy the 26 acres of wooded property known as Bryce East in September 2013 for $1.13 million. The property is adjacent to the main hospital grounds on the other side of McFarland Boulevard. The university’s recreation department is looking at the possibility of installing a rope course on the property, Leopard said.
“A grass field at the eastern edge of the hospital property that is currently used for construction worker parking will be the site of recreational softball fields, Leopard said.”</p>
<p>thanks so much! Just wish UA would release some pictures of the renovations. Bryce has always been this mysterious place. Even now, the admin won’t allow just anyone to walk on the property. </p>
<p>i always thought that UA or the Alabama Mental Health Board could’ve capitalized on Halloween tours of Bryce Hospital in a similar way that one can book a night tour of Alcatraz. </p>
<p>
Bryce has always been mysterious, but under the previous ownership it was relatively easy to be allowed on the property. The statue of a child just past the guardhouse was frightening in the dark and the stone picnic tables and outhouses near the road looked spooky even during the day.</p>
<p>It’s sad that the stone obelisks will be removed as they were very reminiscent of the time period when Bryce had a lot of patients and was one of the premier mental health facilities in the US.</p>
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i always thought that UA or the Alabama Mental Health Board could’ve capitalized on Halloween tours of Bryce Hospital in a similar way that one can book a night tour of Alcatraz.</p>
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<p>lol…I think that’s an image Bama would like to avoid. </p>
<p>I hope Bama is able to preserve most of the things that provide beauty and interest.</p>