Over the past eight months, Concordia’s community has watched the demolition and subsequent building of the new CU Center at the heart of campus. Tim Odle, Vice President of University Operations, guided The Courier on a walk-through tour of the construction site, providing important updates and insight on the progress. 

The original CU Center was built in 1982; the same age as the gym and the amphitheater. The new design does not encroach beyond the original CU Center footprint, instead it fully utilizes the space that was outlined by the extended support beams of the old CU Center. The ceiling that can currently be observed will be covered and dropped lower to create a more intimate feeling in the space, though it will still be 30-35 feet high. 

The new space will increase accommodations from 400-500 seats to over 800 seats. Unfortunately, none of the original CU Center pews could be preserved, and will be replaced with fixed seating. “We looked, and because pews are all custom and because we had this little curve, we couldn't sell them or give them to anybody,” Odle explained. 

The hanging ceiling structures that can currently be seen will hold the new sound system, but these will not be visible in the final design. “All the lights and speakers will be hidden by sound clouds, so it'll be very much a performance space,” said Odle. 

"The stage will come out more. There are basically 100 seats that'll be on the stage, so almost like choir lofts,” explained Odle. “It's just not a traditional center-like procession. We'll process on the sides, otherwise you’ll lose too many seats that way.” 

The main stage will be about twice the size of the original, and the sanctuary will be accessed from the sides, with an ADA compliant ramp running along the sides to the center stage. This design would allow much accessibility for wheelchairs or carts, as they could roll around the perimeter of the entire central space. 

At the front of the building, students can imagine a 42 foot cross made of polished nickel rising up from the center post through the roof. “What was difficult for us is that this is a church,” said Odle. “This is a sacred spot no matter what, and so we will have a concert in here, or there's a play in here and things like that, but number one, it is our worship space. We're maintaining the integrity of the sanctuary itself.”

At the moment, air conditioning ducts are being installed below what will become the flooring, and passersby can view the large blue pipes and open trenches being used for this project. After this is completed, the functional space will begin to take shape.

Odle explained that when students return to campus in August, the exterior of the building will look as though it is complete, because the major construction will have moved inside. “Everything will be wrapped and it'll be inside now… that’s when everybody's really going to want to come in all the time,” said Odle. “We have a year left of actual construction. That's our schedule. Now, of course, it might rain you know, but the plan is that around March, the construction will be done and then we will start working on reinstalling the organ.”

The performance and sound capabilities of the CU Center are being significantly reworked and upgraded. “The organ is being all remodeled, rebuilt, we took all the pipes out,” said Odle. “They went to three different locations in the nation, all the pipes based on their size were shipped to one or the other. And then we're getting a brand new console and playing station.”

Odle detailed how the new electronic systems will transform the space, especially in terms of acoustics. “There will be all new electronic controls, an all new soundboard, all new speakers, you know. In Zhang Hall, it is built with wood to be acoustic. Good Shepherd Chapel is built so that the structure is acoustic,”  said Odle. “This is not. This is built so that we have electronics that create the acoustics and can amplify in tune. So we are doing electronic acoustics here.”  

With a live stream booth built into the space and a top-notch sound system, preserving high quality records of performances and services will be seamless. The goal is for all recordings of images and sounds to be able to be sent directly to the studio in the BMC for processing and editing.

“The sound system is an Amadeus sound system,” said Odle. “It comes from Germany, and it’ll be the first one in the United States. Dr. Held went and visited Germany. We had a committee, we had all people from Christ College, we had people from music, contemporary worship, campus ministry, all of that. So we continue to have premier music facilities.”

The school is planning for the construction contractor’s work to be complete in March of 2026. Then, Odle and his team at University Services will move into the building, and spend several months on the finishing touches. 

"We have to sand all the floor because it's all polished concrete. Then we clean all that up because that's a mess. Then we come in and we start installing all the chairs. Then we start with the control room… we start bringing in all of those electronics. One of the last things is the organ, and that takes four months to tune, get it ready. When everybody comes back in August [2026], you'll come right in.”

The grand opening of the new CU Center is planned to align with the 50th anniversary of Concordia’s founding, in October of 2026. Special worship services and arts presentations are expected for the celebratory event. 

“This is not an easy build,” Odle emphasized. 

Students can expect a lot of change and visual progress during the build within the next two months as the semester comes to a close. Exciting decisions have already been made, such as the new paint color for the roofing, and Concordia’s community can look for forthcoming details from the university. Keep watching closely during this unique moment of Concordia’s history and stay tuned for more updates! 

Tags: CU Center , Construction , community

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