Some fine-arts students will have a sports bar and a fast-food joint a few yards from their classroom at the beginning of next year.
ASU plans to lease and remodel empty building space at in the Cornerstone shopping center, on the northeast corner of Rural Road and University Drive, to relocate several aspects of several fine arts programs.
The programs are being displaced by the potential destruction of the Ritter Building and the loss of the University's lease on space in the Mitchell School, a fine arts education center owned by the city of Tempe.
The Mitchell School lease ends at the end of this month, but will be renewed on a "month-to-month" basis until the Cornerstone building is completed in January 2006, said Rich Stanley, senior vice president and University planner.
The Ritter Building will "eventually come down" as part of the expansion of the Biodesign Institute at ASU, he said.
The nearly 20,000-square-foot Cornerstone building will house aspects of the dance, art and music programs, as well as providing space for small theaters for the Fine Arts department and Hugh Downs School of Communication.
The Cornerstone shopping center also contains businesses including Tempe Improv, Sushi 101, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Sixshooter's Bar and Grill.
Despite the nearby eateries, some students, such as finance student Tony Dolan, wouldn't be enthusiastic about having classes was moved off campus.
"That would kind of bother me," Dolan said. "It makes it more inconvenient in terms of parking yourself in a convenient location to get to other classes."
Greg Lyding, a supply chain management student, agreed.
"It's nice to park at the campus."
ASU officials don't have a "complete list" of which parts of which fine arts programs would be displaced, said Stacey Shaw, a spokeswoman for ASU's School of Fine Arts. Shaw said the Cornerstone facilities would have "good facilities for dance with good floors for what they need," but added that she could not give more details.
The music department will move only a handful of items stored at the Mitchell School, said Wayne Bailey, director of ASU's School of Music.
"The only thing that's moving in Music is a costume storage facility," Bailey said. "From [the School of] Music's standpoint, this is nothing but a storage move."
Reach the reporter at jason.ludwig@asu.edu.
