A 98-year-old building that was formerly the ASU president's cottage reopened Thursday morning as a $10 million "sanctuary" for writers.
The opening ceremony of the Virgina G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, which was once the only two-story structure in Tempe, included ribbon cutting and speeches. (see a clip of writer Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, speaking)
"More of what we're all about is creativity," said ASU President Michael Crow. "We're trying to help people to be more creative, and creativity is a function of science, a function of art. It's a function of writing, it's a function of a lot of things and this is an area that we need to strengthen."
The first floor of the building includes two classrooms, a reading room and a library that will be open to the public. The second floor has offices for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. There will also be an outdoor classroom, but it is not complete.
"We were a little worried about the rain last week," said College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean David Young. "We needed to finish the roof and we didn't get to landscaping it, but it'll get done."
About 100 people attended the opening ceremony and took tours of the new facility.
Grady Gammage Jr., son of former ASU President Grady Gammage Sr., attended the event. He lived in the house when his father was president and said this event was emotional.
"I was getting very choked up," Gammage said. "You know, I've been back here a lot since we moved out years ago, but seeing it furnished as a house again really struck me."
ASU Regent professor Alberto Rios read a poem he wrote for the opening called "Gathering House."
"This is a place of hope and a place to look at values," Rios said.
Creative writing graduate student Katie Cappello said she was satisfied with the facility and hopes to spend time at the Writers' House.
"I think it's incredibly important for the school," she said. "When I started school here there was no undergraduate creative writing program at all ... this really marks a big stepping stone for the program as a national competitor."
Prior to the renovation, the president's cottage was used for file storage.
Reach the reporter at katherine.ruark@asu.edu.
