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Breaking ground
January 25, 2008
When KPLU Midday Jazz host Dick Stein flips his famous “big red switch” in early 2009, it will be in a new studio on the PLU campus.
Last Friday, the station officially broke ground for the Martin J. Neeb Center, named for KPLU’s long-time general manager. Neeb retired from KPLU in May of 2006.
KPLU’s main studios, jazz collection and administrative offices have been housed in Eastvold Hall on the PLU campus for over 40 years. The studios were designed in an era of radio now relegated to history, and are long overdue for technological upgrades. In addition, Eastvold will undergo a complete renovation in the near future.
The new center will increase the station’s physical plant to over 13,000 square feet, compared to 5,000 in the current facility. It will include state-of-the-art facilities, environmentally stable storage for classic records and improved workspace for employees.
One significant aspect of the new building is the incorporation of stringent environmental standards into the design and construction. President Loren Anderson is justifiably proud of the design of the new building.
“We are committed to sustainability at PLU and are working hard to assure that the Neeb Center will set the pace for sustainable construction in the Puget Sound,” Anderson said.
The new station will likely qualify for a “gold” rating as part of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. It would be the second LEED certified building on PLU’s campus, preceded by the Morken Center for Learning and Technology, which opened its doors in spring of 2006.
Located 125th Street and Park Avenue, the new building is being designed by Bloomfield and Associates and Helix Architecture + Design. Construction will take between 10 and 12 months, and KPLU will move in during first quarter 2009.
Martin Neeb served as KPLU’s general manager for more than 25 years, leading the station from a small, student-run operation to a world-renowned jazz and news format that is currently accessible to 3 million people in western Washington and parts of Canada and Oregon.
The capital campaign for the new building got a boost in September 2006 with a $1 million donation from Neeb’s brother, Larry Neeb. A PLU regent and long-time KPLU supporter, he served for nearly 30 years as president of Creative Communications for the Parrish, a St. Louis, Mo.-based ecumenical publishing company. He retired in 2007.
More information on the Martin J. Neeb Center is available at the KPLU campaign Web site.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu. Photo by University Photographer Jordan Hartman.
KPLU’s main studios, jazz collection and administrative offices have been housed in Eastvold Hall on the PLU campus for over 40 years. The studios were designed in an era of radio now relegated to history, and are long overdue for technological upgrades. In addition, Eastvold will undergo a complete renovation in the near future.
The new center will increase the station’s physical plant to over 13,000 square feet, compared to 5,000 in the current facility. It will include state-of-the-art facilities, environmentally stable storage for classic records and improved workspace for employees.
One significant aspect of the new building is the incorporation of stringent environmental standards into the design and construction. President Loren Anderson is justifiably proud of the design of the new building.
“We are committed to sustainability at PLU and are working hard to assure that the Neeb Center will set the pace for sustainable construction in the Puget Sound,” Anderson said.
The new station will likely qualify for a “gold” rating as part of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. It would be the second LEED certified building on PLU’s campus, preceded by the Morken Center for Learning and Technology, which opened its doors in spring of 2006.
Located 125th Street and Park Avenue, the new building is being designed by Bloomfield and Associates and Helix Architecture + Design. Construction will take between 10 and 12 months, and KPLU will move in during first quarter 2009.
Martin Neeb served as KPLU’s general manager for more than 25 years, leading the station from a small, student-run operation to a world-renowned jazz and news format that is currently accessible to 3 million people in western Washington and parts of Canada and Oregon.
The capital campaign for the new building got a boost in September 2006 with a $1 million donation from Neeb’s brother, Larry Neeb. A PLU regent and long-time KPLU supporter, he served for nearly 30 years as president of Creative Communications for the Parrish, a St. Louis, Mo.-based ecumenical publishing company. He retired in 2007.
More information on the Martin J. Neeb Center is available at the KPLU campaign Web site.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu. Photo by University Photographer Jordan Hartman.