After nearly four years of construction, literally from the ground up, Western Illinois University's Goldfarb Center for the Performing Arts (known as the Goldfarb) is nearing substantial completion.
According to Goldfarb Director Anne Lefter, the Capital Development Board (CDB), which is in charge of the $119 million, expects the building to be nearly complete in a few months, which means some of Western's fine arts programs – theatre, dance and music – can begin moving into the building, and staff becoming trained on sound systems, lighting and other nuances within the new building. The Goldfarb will be open for classes when the Fall 2026 semester begins Monday, Aug. 24.
'I joke that we'll be open for the fall semester barring a Godzilla attack,' Lefter said with a laugh.
What's left is 'commissioning' work: electrical finishing, sprinkler installs and lighting and sound systems.
Of course, there's some painting, seat installations in the Great Hall and of course, moving of furniture and equipment once the building is completed this summer.
The CDB and WIU will hold a dedication ceremony sometime during the fall semester, Lefter noted.
And while Lefter, who has been leading the charge since she was hired in July 2024, is departing to run the fine arts center at University of Northern Iowa, she remains committed to the project and will be assisting the interim director, when hired, see the building through completion.
'I'll only be a phone call away, and I plan on coming back for performances, and to see my son, who is continuing his studies at WIU and is a Marching Leatherneck,' Lefter shared.
'The new season we just announced is my love letter to Macomb.'
The University's 'A Season of Joy!' will debut Sept. 16 with Chicken Wire Empire, a Wisconsin-based Bluegrass band. A special Gold Series subscription, which includes seven shows, starts at $220 per person.
The Gold Series includes a reserved seat for each of the headlining shows during the 2026-2027 season.
Tickets for each show can also be purchased separately beginning in August. More information on the Gold Series subscription, which is available for purchase now, as well as the performances, can be found at westernpresents. com.
Construction began on the accessible 100,000-square-foot building in September 2022. The Capital Development Board, which provided funding for the facility through Gov. J.B.
Pritzker's bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, has been overseeing the project since the ground was broken in Fall 2022. The contemporary structure includes several classrooms, offices, practice rooms, studios and performance spaces.
The Great Hall, an 869-seat Proscenium Theatre, will provide an ultramodern performance space for music, theatre and dance productions as well as regional and national touring performances, while the smaller Black Box theatre will provide a more intimate space for campus productions.
River City Construction, LLC, of Peoria, IL, has served as the general contractor for the center, with Cannon Design, Inc. as the architect-of-record overseeing construction and Pelli Clarke Pelli serving as the architectural design firm.
The new fine arts center has been the number one priority on Western's capital development list since 2006 and has been in some form of planning and/or discussion since December 1972.
While things have run fairly smoothly during the construction process, there have been some hiccups here and there. The center was set for substantial completion in May, but a labor shortage in the rigging system industry (which is crucial for moving and setting scenery and sets) pushed the project back a few months, as did a snafu with the upholstery for the seating in the Great Hall.
'There are very few companies that do rigging systems, and the one we are contracted with has had a hard time with hiring,' Lefter explained. 'And we're still waiting on the seats in the Great Hall as 900 yards of the wrong color fabric was ordered by the subcontractor. Thankfully, they caught it before they got too far on the seating and they were shipped.
'But we're continuing to truck along. The landscaping is going in, the masonry and brickwork is done, the air barrier testing passed and windows are now all in place,' she added. 'Overall, the structure is almost done.'
The studio theatre, which is now called the Clow Theatre after the late Billy Clow, who served as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications until his unexpected passing in April 2025, is a 'Black Box' theatre that can be designed any which way for events. Everything within the theatre can be moved around, Lefter explained. The LED lighting is in place in the 'trickedout space,' and finishing touches are happening daily on the Clow Theatre, along with the numerous other spaces within the center.
'The pace of change taking place daily is incredible,' Lefter exclaimed. 'Every time I walk in there is something else done and I see something different.
'I can't put all my thoughts into words about what this project has meant to me,' she added. 'It's really going to be incredible when it's finally done.'
