EVANSVILLE – A major renovation project at Wheeler Concert Hall at the University of Evansville now has enough money to launch the effort, giving the music venue a much-need facelift. Our partners at WEHT-TV say the school and the philanthropic “Friends of UE Music” have reached their $3 million goal for the project. The organizations completed their fundraising in just six months.

In 2019, a water line break caused damage to much of the hall, putting it out of commission. The TV station says the wooden floors were ruined, the ceiling was damaged, and the organ was beyond repair.

UE says in addition to new seating and replacing the flooring, a new acoustics system will be added to improve the sound quality.

“We really needed a nice facility to move ourselves into the 21st century and now not only we are getting it but we are getting a state of the art facility so we are going to be on the cutting edge as far as facilities for our students and a great place for our students to perform,” said Ken Steinsultz, the Co-Director of the Music Conservatory.

The school says HVAC work is set to begin in November. UE hopes to finish the work by next summer.