Gordon College Ceremonially Breaks Ground on the Adams Center for Music

A vision years in the making officially moved forward in May 2026 as Gordon College ceremonially broke ground on the Adams Center for Music, a transformative new facility that will serve students, audiences, and the broader community.

Faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni gathered to celebrate the milestone, which marks Gordon’s most significant campus construction project in more than 20 years.

“Today is more than the start of construction,” President Michael Hammond said during the ceremony. “It represents vision, partnership, and progress.”

The Adams Center for Music will become the new home of Gordon’s outstanding music program and the Adams School of Music and the Arts. Scheduled to open in the fall of 2028, the facility will feature a world-class concert hall, rehearsal spaces, and gathering areas designed to bring all music programming under one roof for the first time in the College’s history.

The groundbreaking also offered an opportunity to reflect on Gordon’s longstanding commitment to music and the arts. In his remarks, President Hammond noted that music has been central to the College since its founding.

“From its very beginning, Gordon College has had music in its DNA,” he said.

That legacy continues today through a vibrant community of students, faculty, and alumni who use music to serve churches, schools, nonprofit organizations, and audiences around the world.

Leading the design effort is acclaimed architect Alan Joslin of Epstein Joslin + Picardy, whose work includes renowned music venues such as Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, and the Groton Hill Music Center. His experience creating world-class performance spaces helped shape a vision for the Adams Center that is both acoustically exceptional and deeply connected to community.

“We are breaking ground on more than just a facility; we are breaking ground on a place of communal possibility and influence,” Joslin said.

The 500-seat concert hall will create an intimate performance experience, bringing audiences closer to performers while providing exceptional acoustics for orchestral, choral, and instrumental music. Large windows and transparent gathering spaces will invite the campus community into the life of the building, making music a visible and accessible part of daily life.

Dean of the Adams School of Music and the Arts Sarita Kwok highlighted the impact the new facility will have on future generations of students.

“One thing has remained consistent since the humble beginnings of music at Gordon: a conviction that God has presented us with the honor of nurturing the next generation of musicians,” she said. “Not only in teaching students to master their art, but in forming remarkable young people who use music as a force to enrich lives, strengthen communities, and elevate our society.”

The project was made possible through the generosity of the Adams family, whose support of Gordon College and the arts spans decades. 

“Our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Adams and the late Mr. Adams, who have, in immeasurable ways, demonstrated their commitment to the arts, especially music, and Christian higher education,” said President Hammond. “The Adams Center for Music is a beautiful testament to their vision and belief in the power of music.”

As shovels turned the first soil and students later celebrated with a special performance, the day marked both a beginning and a promise. When the Adams Center for Music opens in the fall of 2028, it will further strengthen Gordon College’s commitment to excellence in music education, performance, and community engagement while creating new opportunities for students and audiences across the North Shore and Greater Boston.

“We have broken ground today so that a place of opportunity, creativity, innovation, and community—woven together in music—can flourish for generations to come,” Kwok said.

For more information on the Adams Center for Music, please visit gordon.edu/AdamsCenter.