Church Fine Arts Building Records

The University's Fine Arts Building was designed by Richard J. Neutra and Robert E. Alexander, Architects headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Craig Sheppard, Chairman of the Art Department, recommended in 1957 that the new Fine Arts Classroom Building be named in honor of Dr. James E. Church, who joined the faculty in 1892 and was the first professor to teach art appreciation at the University. The Board of Regents approved the suggestion in 1958. Dr. Church died in 1959 before the groundbreaking for the new building, and the Board of Regents agreed to have the ashes of Dr. Church and Mrs. Florence H. Church interred behind the cornerstone. The cornerstone and dedication ceremony was held on March 6, 1960. The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Nevada conducted the ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone. The building was rededicated in May 1977. The new Fine Arts Complex was available in the fall of 1986. The building underwent a renovation in 2012-2013.