Lang
3/10/26
The reopening date for the former University of Iowa Art Building on North Riverside Drive has been pushed back a few months.
The building has sat dormant since it was damaged in the 2008 floods.
In late 2024, the Iowa Board of Regents approved $37 million in funding to renovate the structure. The Art Building will become the new location for the UI’s Graduate College, the College of Education’s Art Education and Maker Space, and the School of Planning and Public Affairs.
The renovations include the mechanical, electrical, IT, and elevator systems being relocated to the second floor. Furniture and equipment on the lower level will be designed to be easily relocated from the building in case of another high-water event. The project will also maintain the integrity of the exterior.
The building was set to reopen in July, but this week UI officials gave an update saying that date has been pushed back to this fall.
The Art Building was erected in 1936, and was the first building built on the artist campus, on the west bank of the Iowa River next to the Iowa Memorial Union footbridge.