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The University of Arkansas at Monticello was recently awarded a $1,405,759 grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) to renovate the Music Building, formerly known as the Fine Arts Building. The Music Building is located on UAM’s Monticello campus and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.

The grant will fund the replacement of the interior mechanical systems serving the first and second floors. The renovation will include replacing the current freon system with a 4-pipe HVAC system and installing a new hot water boiler.

The Music Building was designed by noted Little Rock architect A. N. McAninch. The structure features a steel frame, concrete poured on steel joists and rusticated sandstone exterior walls. Its Tudor Revival design, accented with Gothic Revival elements, was chosen to express a sense of stability and tradition. An A-frame attic and much of the original detailing have been preserved.

Constructed between 1934 and 1935, the Music Building was one of several campus projects funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), a New Deal-era federal program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and designed to boost the economy during the Great Depression through large-scale public infrastructure investments. The PWA supported construction on college campuses across Arkansas, including at what was then the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical College (renamed the Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1939 and the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1971). PWA funding contributed to at least three projects on the campus, resulting in the construction of approximately 10 buildings. Six of those buildings, including the Music Building, remain in use today at UAM.

“The Music Building is one of the most instantly recognizable landmarks on UAM’s campus,” said Dr. Peggy Doss, chancellor of UAM. “Its architecture is central to the collegiate look and feel of our university, adding tremendous beauty and value to our grounds. We are deeply grateful to the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council for its investment in preserving the legacy of this iconic building for our students and community.”