It is no secret that DePaul is building a state-of-the-art theater facility for its Theatre School. What students did not expect was to come back from break and see the frame of the building totally transformed – its massive white fa’ÛÎ_ade protrudes out further above the street with every story, and its floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflect the sun, making it gleam throughout the day.

The 175,000 square foot building now dwarfs everything around it except neighboring student apartment building 1237 West, which is in and of itself an enormous building; the theater building rivals 1237 West in size.

DePaul senior Sean Boswell said the new building is “overwhelming” at the moment, but that it will look great when it is completed. “It has a really modern look and feel, but it seems like it’s bigger than 1237 which makes it absolutely enormous,” said Boswell.

The massive new building, which is currently undergoing construction on the corner of Racine and Fullerton, will be completed in September.

“The new building was designed to try and capture the same energy as we have here,” said Anna Ables, director of marketing and public relations for the Theatre School. “There is an openness and a lightness to it.”

The new Theatre School will have two theaters: a “Fullerton Stage” that will seat 250 people, and a “black box” theater that can change configuration and seat 100, according to Ables.

DePaul’s Theatre School is widely considered to be among the top theater programs in the country. Currently, the Theatre School is housed in two welded-together buildings just south of the intersection of Kenmore and Webster, but all that is about to change.

Architect Cesar Pelli, the designer of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, were brought in to create a design for a building that would hopefully breathe new life into the Theatre program while still maintaining the feel and character of the old location.

Known for featuring dramatic lines and simplistic shapes, Pelli and his firm has a strong portfolio of designing buildings for the performing arts and has also created some of the world’s tallest buildings. From 1998 to 2004, the Pelli-designed Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world.

“The building looks great from the front side,” said Taj Simmons, a resident of 1237 West. “While it has obstructed our spectacular view of downtown, it was really the best location for it, because it’s so massive.”

Simmons lives on the third floor of 1237 West, and the new theatre building dwarfs his view, seemingly towering over his window. When completed, the new theater building will stand at five stories tall.

Walking west down Fullerton, one cannot help but notice the striking yet simplistic design of the new building. Its bright white fa’ÛÎ_ade contrasts the red brick of many of the surrounding locations, making it stick out like a sore thumb. Many are wondering how close to the curb the finished product will be.

“I’ve lived in 1237 for three years now and the new theater building is so massive that it’s becoming a hassle,” said Boswell. “It seems like every other morning the workers hold people up on the sidewalks to move their equipment in and out of the alleyway between it and 1237.”

Gil Tanner, a Theatre School student, has mixed feelings about the new building.

“On one hand I’m very appreciative of DePaul’s commitment to our program, but on the other, I’m worried it could alter the culture of the program as it is today,” said Tanner.

“It’s going to bring about change regardless,” said Tanner. “I hope it will be positive. I just don’t want people to come for the facility rather than the faculty. The faculty is what makes this program so great.”

The fate of the old Theatre School building is still in question.

“We’ve not been told of any official plans, but we’ve heard that it will be used by the music school for about a year as they remodel,” said Ables. “Then it may be used for administration offices.”