Harris Fine Arts Center

rdf:langString Harris Fine Arts Center

rdf:langString The Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) is the main location for Brigham Young University's (BYU) College of Fine Arts and Communications, housing most of the college's departments and divisions. It consists of several named stages and concert spaces, as well as classrooms, study rooms, painting studios, theatre work rooms, and faculty offices. The arts center was inaugurated in 1964. The HFAC was designed by architect William Pereira in the modernist style popular at the time of its construction. The building is notable for its dramatic multi-floor, open, interior atrium that serves as an exhibition gallery and an acoustically-resonate space for occasional concerts. The building’s entrances feature four dramatic open patios. The patios’ open design maximizes natural light to multiple wings and creates exterior workspaces for students. The HFAC is located immediately to the south of the Museum of Art, and just north of the Wilkinson Student Center. In 2022, BYU announced plans to demolish the building and build a new arts building in its place, in addition to the new music building announced a few years prior. Construction is set to begin in 2023. In the meantime, non-musical programs formerly housed in the HFAC will temporarily occupy renovated space in the former Provo High School building.