President Bienen announced today that the School of Music will be getting a new $90 million building south of Pick-Staiger. The building, which is projected to be five stories high and 116,000 square feet, will allow all programs within the school to be consolidated in the same building for the first time in 35 years.

“This is a momentous occasion in the 113-year history of the School of Music,” School of Music Dean Toni-Marie Montgomery said in a press release. “The new building will strengthen our position as one of the nation’s premier schools of music by providing state-of-the-art facilities for our talented students and outstanding faculty. The project also will foster a greater sense of community between our academic and performance departments. I am grateful to President Bienen for his extraordinary commitment to this initiative.”

After construction is complete, the School of Music will move out of the Music Administration Building, the Music Practice Building, and Lutkin Hall. Northwestern hasn’t yet determined what the buildings will then be used for.

The university is also planning on creating a new Music and Arts Green to the west of the building to provide a “dramatic new gateway to the new music building and the fine arts area” and promises to preserve views of the lake and Chicago skyline.

Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2009, hopefully to be completed in spring 2012. Incoming music freshmen, rejoice: You might actually benefit from our having to walk around even more ugly orange fencing.