Reviewed by: Pat Byington
$41M Randy Owen Arts Center breaks ground at Jacksonville State
Reading time: 3 minutes
A new performing arts center is on its way to Jacksonville State University as the school officially broke ground on the $41.3 million project on campus.
The new Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts, or The ROC, will pay tribute to Randy Owen who graduated from JSU + is the lead singer of award-winning band Alabama.
Keep reading to find out what all will be included in the project + Randy Owen’s history with the university.
The ROC
JSU says the Randy Owen Center will honor Owen’s contributions to the arts and society while supporting the education and training of students.
The building will be located at the corner of Church Street and Roebuck Waters Drive. It will contain a 1,000-seat performance hall and the Pi Kappa Phi Lobby.
More than $22 million has been raised toward the $41.3 million project, which includes a $15 million appropriation from Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama State Legislature. The anticipated completion date is Fall 2025.
The new construction will add to an existing space known as the ROC Educational Wing which will include:
- 400-seat recital hall
- Rehearsal hall
- Backstage suites
- Recording studio
- Educational classrooms
- Office space
The university believes this space will become a home for not just their own performing arts students, but a center for community, regional and state events. Those programs include:
- Family Concert Series
- Annual Tubaween Concert
- Regional and state music competitions
- Honor Band camp
- Kids Summer Series in the Arts program
Randy Owen
After graduating from Fort Payne High School, Randy Owen attended Jacksonville State and majored in English but most of his time outside of the classroom was spent on his music. After college, he helped form the band Alabama.
Along the way, the band won a pair of Grammy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music in 1989 and Country Music Group of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1999.
In 2005, the band was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Owen was on site for the groundbreaking Tuesday afternoon, along with Gov. Kay Ivey and other university + state officials.
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