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With almost a year of construction work complete, Tyler Junior College’s Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center is showing the promise of the facility it will become.

Exterior walls and brickwork are going up, rooflines are rising and the new façade is taking shape after 11 months of demolition and underground utility, drainage and foundation work to prepare for the new construction.

In June 2019, TJC officials held a groundbreaking for the project that will transform the college’s Wise Auditorium, which opened in 1957, into a comprehensive performing arts center.

HGR Construction is building the project with plans by Fitzpatrick Architects.

In April 2018, the TJC Campaign for the Performing Arts was launched to provide $7.5 million in private funding to underwrite the construction. Later this summer, donors will be invited to a special event for a sneak peek at the progress being made.

The campaign is being spearheaded by a community steering committee including: Margaret Perkins and Sheryl Rogers Palmer, co-chairs; Teresa Butcher, Beryl Cobb, D.M. Edwards, Annette Findley, LaVerne Gollob, Tisa Hibbs, Joyce Hudnall, Laura Hyde, Allison Jarvis, Pam Lisner, Holly Mazzare ́, John McMillan, Amy McCullough, Donna Metke, Laura O’Halloran, Jan Payne, Anne Rhodus, Dr. Cheryl Rogers and Mike Rogers.

In January 2019, the Robert M. Rogers Foundation committed to a lead gift of $3 million to name the new facility.

Upon completion in January 2021, the Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center will be the centerpiece of TJC’s Cultural Arts District. A weeklong celebration is being planned for the opening.

The new center will feature 14,000 square feet in additional space, including a new stage with updated technology; a renovated auditorium with new seating, acoustical treatments and sound system; new performance space and art gallery; large main lobby with accessible box office, concession and event areas; green room, rehearsal and dance studios; a presidential suite of administrative offices that also can be used for hosting guests.

For more than 40 years, the Geese in Flight fountain has been located between between Wise Auditorium and Wise Cultural Arts Center, serving as a meeting place, photo-op location and resting spot.

The refurbished fountain will be part of a new water feature and its former site will become a plaza with room for outdoor performances between the two buildings.

The new performing arts center will help TJC recruit students in the performing arts, grow the College’s arts programs and cultivate an arts culture by offering programming.

The previous facility lacked the resources to support the college’s performing arts programs, which include The TJC Academy of Dance performances, vocal and instrumental recitals, theater productions and Apache Belles and Band presentations.

The new auditorium will maintain the historic name of Wise Auditorium.

“For more than six decades, this facility has served as a community resource for the arts,” said Mitch Andrews, TJC vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the TJC Foundation. “The new Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center will build on that legacy, support a thriving arts culture in East Texas and showcase TJC’s exceptional performing arts programs. We sincerely thank our dedicated steering committee for their leadership, vision and generosity.”

The campaign is being spearheaded by a community steering committee including: Margaret Perkins and Sheryl Rogers Palmer, co-chairs; Teresa Butcher, Beryl Cobb, D.M. Edwards, Amy Faulconer, Annette Findley, LaVerne Gollob, Tisa Hibbs, Joyce Hudnall, Laura Hyde, Allison Jarvis, Pam Lisner, Holly Mazzare ́, John McMillan, Amy McCullough, Donna Metke, Laura O’Halloran, Jan Payne, George Ann Reed, Anne Rhodus, Dr. Cheryl Rogers and Mike Rogers.

 For more information on the TJC Campaign for the Arts, go to TJC.edu/ArtsCampaign.