Photo courtesy VCU
Groundbreaking ceremony last June at the future site of VCU's Institute of Contemporary Art. Construction delays have pushed back the opening to 2017.
A five-month work stoppage at the future site of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute of Contemporary Art has pushed back its expected opening date to some time in 2017.
The building originally was scheduled to open in 2016, but construction ground to a halt in January as designs were modifiied, says university spokeswoman Leila Ugincius. Such delays are "not unusual with a building of this complexity as it gets closer to construction," she says, via email.
She declined to be more specific on what the new opening date may be or what modifications to the design have been made.
In June 2014, the university broke ground at the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets to much fanfare. Designed by internationally-renowned architect Steven Holl, the $35 million museum is intended to serve as a gateway to VCU’s Monroe Park campus for visitors coming from Interstates 64 and 95. Construction was initially expected to take 18 months.
To date, the building's geothermal wells have been drilled, but work has not started on its foundation. That will begin in approximately two weeks, Ugincius says.
The university raised more than $33 million to fund the construction of the project and is still seeking donations to meet a $35 million goal, according to the ICA's website.
