HAMPTON — Officials representing Virginia Peninsula Community College, Virginia’s Community Colleges, contractor W.M. Jordan and the architect firm of RRMM commemorated the placing of the final beam on the college’s new auditorium April 26 with a traditional topping-out ceremony.
“It was just four months ago that we were here for groundbreaking,” said Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) President Towuanna Porter Brannon. “To see the progress that’s been made, it is incredible.”
Placing the last steel beam is a major milestone in a building project, and often that beam is painted white with members of the construction team, designers, others involved in the project, and dignitaries signing the beam, VPCC noted. Last week, Ron Lauster, president of W.J. Jordan, invited everyone in attendance to sign the beam.
The roof on the old theater, the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium, collapsed on April 5, 2021. With the theater and campus closed due to the pandemic, no one was injured.
The new facility will seat 494 guests, a slight increase from the previous venue. During the groundbreaking ceremony for the new theater on Dec. 11, Brannon said the facility’s opening is targeted for spring 2025, and that still is the case.
“The next anniversary of the collapse, we hope we are having a ribbon-cutting,” Brannon said Friday. “I invite you all back for that momentous occasion.”
The name of the new theater has not been determined. VPCC said college officials will consider several factors and collect stakeholders’ input before providing naming recommendations to the Local College Board, which is responsible for approving the names of campus facilities.
The project, designed by RRMM Architects, is expected to cost $17 million and is being funded by Virginia’s Community Colleges (VCCS) and insurance, according to the college.
For more information on VPCC, visit vpcc.edu.
