Facade of CoStar Center for the Arts and Innovation

CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation

A place where the arts and other disciplines intersect to imagine and solve the world’s toughest problems.

Whether among disciplines, with partners in the community or across the globe, collaboration is the driving force of next-generation teaching, learning and discovery at VCU. Positioned on the southeast corner of Broad and Belvidere streets, across from the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU and steps away from Fortune 500 companies and local startups, VCU's new arts and innovation building will provide a launch pad for critical digital and creative economy initiatives both on campus and in the city.

The new building will optimize VCU’s arts innovation programs by bringing them together under one roof -- consolidating several programs within VCU’s nationally recognized School of the Arts, ranked fourth in the country among graduate programs. It will feature flexible classroom spaces, interdisciplinary performance venues and makerspaces for rapidly growing partnerships across arts, business, humanities and sciences, medicine and engineering. Here our students will learn to harness and prepare for a world of new and emerging industries. 

CoStar Group’s investment adds to the company’s long-standing history of investment in educational opportunities in the city of Richmond and the commonwealth of Virginia. 

Project status: Working drawing phase

Location: The southeast corner of Broad and Belvidere streets, across from the ICA at VCU 

Where it is on the Six-Year Capital Plan: This project was listed in the 2022-2028 Six-Year Capital Plan

Estimated timeline: Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2024.

Funding Source: $232.4 million will be funded by the state, $18 million has been committed by the CoStar Group, and VCU will raise funds for the remaining $20.6M

Estimated cost: Currently estimated at $253 million

Primary Consultants: William Rawn Associates (architect), Glavé & Holmes Architecture (consulting architect), Hourigan (construction manager) 

It is important to note that undertaking a pre-planning study does not guarantee that a particular project will come to fruition. Issues such as funding availability or a shift in priorities can delay or even cancel a project from becoming a reality. 

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