Chicago will boast a brand new 40,000-sq. ft. South Loop facility with two sound stages, a motion picture capture studio and an animation lab?exclusively for the use of Columbia College students.
The Columbia Media Production Center is the first new construction project undertaken by the school, and the fulfillment of the film department’s lengthy search for a site to build a studio that would add to the school’s reputation.
Chicago-based Jeanne Gang & Studio Gang Architects of Chicago was selected to design the facility, said president Warrick L. Carter and Allen M. Turner, chairman of the board of trustees.
The proposed MPC will be built on the southwest corner of 16th and State Streets on a vacant lot currently owned by the City of Chicago.
The land sale to Columbia, allowing for the construction of the facility, must be approved by the Community Development Commission and the City Council.
The school has three South Loop facilities: The Theatre Building at 72 E. 11th St., The Ludington Building, 1104 S. Wabash and the Theatre/Film Annex at 1415 S. Wabash to support a range of studies including animation, audio, cinematography, directing, editing, producing and screenwriting.
Turner said he was pleased that a Chicago-based firm was chosen from among initial 29 U.S. and Canadian firms that were invited to submit qualifications, and from among the four finalists, that included another Chicago firm and one each in Los Angeles and New York.
“Over the years Columbia has become a major force in the educational and cultural landscape of the city and is recognized as an anchor institution in the booming South Loop.
“Working with a Chicago firm further demonstrates our commitment to the city and the talent we have here,” he said.
