Constructed: 1972-1974 and 1999

Architects: Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo and Associates, Hamden, Conn. 1999 lobby addition: Perry Dean Rogers and Partners, Boston, Mass. Plaza renovation: Kuhn Riddle, Amherst, Mass.

This uncompromisingly modernist, poured concrete building consists of several distinctly different units that were intended to combine to form a powerful architectural sculpture. The Fine Arts Center was conceived as a gateway to the campus at the south end of the pond, but its arcade also acts as a link between student housing on the east side of campus and the academic buildings on the west. The lobby, constructed in 1999, respects the concept of a gateway to the campus by providing transparency through the extensive use of glass.

The original reflecting pools, depicted in images in the University Archives, were replaced during a renovation of the plaza. The western pool is now a garden and the eastern pool has been replaced with a parking area.

The Fine Arts Center remains the most visible structure at the entrance to the campus. On its lower floors, the building contains a major concert hall, a theater, recital hall, and a small experimental theater, while the large bridge above contains art studios. The building accommodates the Architecture, Arts, Music, Dance and Theater Departments, as well as the University Gallery.

• From Three Architectural Tours: Selected Buildings on the Campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, 2000)
• For additional information, consult the University Archives (RG 36/101).