Temple University is building a new, modern facility for the Klein College of Media and Communication and the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts.
Construction will begin in spring 2025 and is expected to finish by fall 2027.
The 199,000-square-foot building will be located on North Broad Street, across from Polett Walk.
It’s designed to give students better learning spaces, help programs grow, and create a space for the local community to enjoy.
The current buildings, Annenberg Hall and Tomlinson Theater, are over 55 years old and no longer meet the needs of today’s programs.
The new facility will replace them with updated features, including four new theaters:
- A 375-seat proscenium theater
- A 180-seat cinema
- A flexible 140-seat black box theater
- A 63-seat screening room
They will offer students more space and modern equipment to perform, learn, and collaborate.
The facility will also include a high-tech student media center where groups like The Temple News, Temple TV, and WHIP radio can work together.
There will be advanced audio and video editing rooms, a podcast studio, wellness spaces, and a virtual reality lab.
Students will also have access to a professional soundstage, a directing lab, rehearsal rooms with natural light, and an animation lab.
Updated post-production areas will include spaces for sound mixing, Foley work, virtual reality, color correction, and digital editing.
The new facility will help students from different programs work together.
Theater and film students, for example, will be able to collaborate on projects, combining costumes, set design, and film production skills.
This hands-on experience will prepare students for real-world jobs that require teamwork across fields.
The new facility will also be a resource for the local community.
Its location on North Broad Street makes it easy to access, and the university has designed the building with community needs in mind.
Local residents, especially young people, will have opportunities to use the equipment, such as podcast and music recording tools, to learn new skills and explore creative careers.
Temple has worked closely with community leaders to make sure the project benefits everyone, and it has received strong local support.
The design is also made to adapt as education and technology grow and change.
Temple’s leaders want it to remain useful and relevant for decades, and construction is expected to take about 30 months after the groundbreaking in 2025.
Most of the funding for this project comes from state funds specifically set aside for this purpose.
Additional money will come from fundraising, and no tuition dollars will be used.
Once completed, the new building will offer modern spaces for students, bring new opportunities to the community, and help strengthen the bond between Temple University and North Philadelphia.
