Much-needed Upgrade to Arts Center Roof

Since completing the Jane and Laurence Glazer Music Performance Center last fall, Nazareth has turned its attention towards a new roof for the adjoining Arts Center building. The state's Higher Education Capital (HECap) grant program provided $450,487 toward a $1.8 M roof renovation this summer. The roof replacement includes about 26,000 square feet of curved surfaces, plus flat portions for about 11,000 square feet. This is the first time the Arts Center roof has received a much-needed upgrade in more than 30 years.

"While the roof is made of steel, there is a white PVC membrane covering the curved surfaces that needed to be replaced," said Michael LaPoint, director of facilities planning and administration. "Additionally, flat portions of the roof are being replaced with an asphalt-based roofing material to reduce heat loss and to improve drainage. This critical project will enable the Arts Center to continue its role as a vibrant part of the campus and community."

When the building opened, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle cited a metropolitan critic who called the Center “the envy of any large college in the county.” In the late 60s and early 70s, the Arts Center was considered the off-Broadway house of Rochester presenting a continuing series of experimental theatre, dance, and mime. Famous performers at the Arts Center include mime artist Marcel Marceau, actors Vincent Price and Hal Holbrook, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Martha Graham Dance Company.

The Arts Center was designed by architectural/engineering firm Giffels and Rosetti in the mid 1960s to house the College’s growing programs in art, music, and speech therapy, as well as provide an intimate auditorium for touring programs in theatre and dance. A fact sheet about the building from when it was built describes an exterior “made of tapestry brick and large expanses of gray glass, forming three separate yet integrated units [the art, theatre, and music wings] around a central court which serve as the academic core for the expanding campus.” A brochure from the 1980s refers to “the sculpted lines of the Arts Center, sweeping upward and bringing a fresh beauty and a contrast to the traditional look of the Nazareth College campus.”

The building’s design was intended to inspire imagination and creativity. A brochure from the opening refers to “the architectural masses [that] are designed to form interesting inner courts and dramatic vistas in a harmonious but ever-changing pattern.” In a College newsletter from 1981, Sister Marion Hoctor, who was college provost and vice president for academic affairs at the time, added more interesting commentary to the role of the Arts Center at Nazareth.

“From the beginning, we emphasized the liberal arts and the fine arts,” she said. “I’ve always thought they were entirely complementary. In the liberal arts, the focus is primarily intellectual, and in the fine arts, the focus is imaginative and intuitive. To blend both in an academic setting is a way of guaranteeing that people can grow fully.”