Ground was broken on September 22, 1964, for the new Music Building, the first building to be built in the Yale Avenue Urban Renewal Project area. Dr. A.W. Humphreys, professor of music education, and Alfred Schmied, chairman of the building committee, removed the first shovelfuls of dirt from the building site, with crane and tractors on site and their operators waiting for the ceremonies to end. Architects for the building were Barber and McMurry with the consulting firm for specific music needs of Bolt, Brenek, and Newman, the firm that advised the designing of the Lincoln Center Theatre. The 53,637-square-foot building that cost $1.4 million was completed in 1965 and was first used for classes on January 5, 1966. The building included a six-hundred-seat performance hall with an orchestra pit that accommodated 60 musicians, faculty offices, practice rooms, studios, band room, and classrooms designed for music instruction.
The building was constructed in three sections, each virtually a separate building. Practice rooms in the facility were constructed as “floating” rooms—they had thick double walls with a vacuum between the walls. The floors were constructed in a similar manner.
When completed, the building was already overcrowded—it was necessary immediately to divide eight of the studios in order to accommodate the faculty. The plans were drawn for the building in 1961 and were revised 11 times before finally being bid. The department moved from a temporary structure, Splinter Hall, on the Hill to its new quarters.
The 1965 Music Building was razed in 2010 and work was begun on foundations for a 123,000-square-foot building partially funded by a $10 million gift from Jim (James A., II) and Natalie Haslam. In 2006 Natalie and Jim Haslam, cochairs for the Campaign for Tennessee, together with the Haslam Family Foundation, gave UT $32.5 million. The largest allotment of this money, $10 million, went to the School of Music to ensure that the new Music Building was state-of-the-art and could serve students well. The building’s name—Natalie L. Haslam Music Center—was announced by then-Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Henry Nemchik in 2009. A ground-breaking ceremony was held November 10, 2010 for the $40 million structure.
The School of Music and the band moved into the building in summer 2013, with the building being ready for fall 2013 classes on August 21. The formal dedication was held September 13, 2013, preceded on the evening of September 12 by a reception and concert by School of Music students.
The Haslam Center itself was characterized as a physical expression of the musical art form. Acoustical wall panels and retractable curtains allow the 412-seat Sandra G. Powell recital hall and rehearsal rooms to be tuned to reverberate or absorb sound to meet the needs of various performances. Performance studios and academic offices are soundproof. The building’s facade itself was designed to resemble abstract sheet music, with the vertical pieces between the glass panes representing bars and horizontal pieces representing the staff. The colored glass was designed to emulate musical notes.
The four-floor, 123,000-square-foot facility houses eight technology-enhanced classrooms; the first band room able to accommodate the 351-member Pride of the Southland Band; band support spaces; 56 practice rooms; 57 performance studios/academic offices; an organ studio; the 412-seat Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall; the George F. DeVine Music Library; a recording/mixing lab; computer, electronic music and piano labs; and an academic tutoring center. The lobby has a 79-step glass monumental stairway, a first of its kind at UT, and the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall design reflects the classic design of grand symphony and opera halls.
In accord with UT Knoxville policies, the building was designed to be energy efficient. Rainwater is collected and stored in a 22,000-gallon underground cistern for use in irrigating the site’s plants and lawn. Automatic light sensing systems allow conservation of electricity on sunny days; lights in spaces come on when the space is entered and go off when the space is vacated; colored portions of the glass, while part of the aesthetic design of the exterior, are also coated with a ceramic pattern that reduces solar heat gain; the building overhangs provide shade; and materials used in the construction are consistent with requirements for LEED certification. The building received LEED certification at the silver level in March 2015.
BarberMcMurry Architects designed the center, and Blankenship and Partners was responsible for the construction. Johnson and Galyon was the contractor.