About the Fine Arts Center
The 128,000 square foot Fine Arts Center is a multipurpose
facility that is home to Lazzara Performance Hall, the School of Music, the
Department of Art & Design, faculty offices, classrooms, and rehearsal spaces.
The Fine Arts Center serves a dual purpose: to enhance the academic programs on
campus and to provide unique professional venues for public rentals.
The 1300-seat Lazzara Performance Hall is named for Gasper
and Irene Lazzara, prominent civic leaders who donated $1.25 million to the hall’s
funding. The fully equipped proscenium theater has state-of-the-art lighting,
sound and acoustics—and is the second largest stage in the area. It is the
perfect venue for any type of special event including lectures, conferences, meetings,
fundraisers, fashion shows, graduations, awards ceremonies, film screenings, theater
productions, and concerts. The first floor lobby displays an intriguing
sculpture installation entitled Aurora, by Tim Curtis, which was commissioned
by the Florida Art in State Buildings Program.
The Fine Arts Center also manages an adjacent event venue.
The Andrew A. Robinson, Jr. Theater was the first theater venue built on campus,
and features an innovative design that allows the space to be converted from a
700-seat theater to three separate venues including a 400-seat theater and two
150-seat lecture halls. The Robinson Theater is named in honor of Dr. Andrew A.
Robinson, Jr., community leader and lifelong educator who served as Interim
President of UNF from 1980-1982, as well as founding UNF faculty and Dean of
the College of Education and Human Services.
Our Mission
The Fine Arts Center is committed to stimulating the
cultural and academic lives of University of North Florida students, faculty,
staff, alumni and the Jacksonville community by providing unique professional
venues for public rentals, which bring diverse programming to the community,
both entertaining and educational.