The Crewe Center for the Arts
Opening Fall 2025
Opening this fall on our Portland campus, the Crewe Center for the Arts will build upon 70 years of artistic legacy from our Gorham campus. This state-of-the-art facility will usher in a bold new era for the University of Southern Maine (USM) — blending tradition with innovation, empowering students with a top-tier arts education, and inviting the community to experience exceptional music and world-class visual arts, right here in Southern Maine.
Discover the future of the arts in Southern Maine
Crewe Center for the Arts
Designed to meet the highest standards of innovation and sustainability, including LEED Silver certification, the Crewe Center is a signature new architectural landmark for USM and the city of Portland. Join Kelly and Lee as they explore the exterior of this stunning facility and highlight the unique features that set its design and architecture apart.
Great Hall Gallery
Designed as an interactive space that invites engagement, the Great Hall Gallery connects students, patrons, and guests to both the campus and the arts. As visitors move through this distinctive exhibition space, they become part of the artistic experience. In this tour, Kat shares her vision with Lee for how the Great Hall brings art to life at USM.
Performance Hall
We centered USM students in the design of our 200-seat Performance Hall, creating an exceptional experience for performers and audiences alike. A state-of-the-art Dante sound system and custom, adjustable acoustics tailored for our student musicians will elevate every performance with stunning audio quality. Join Kyle, Sam, and Lee for an inside look — and get excited for the incredible music yet to come!
Rehearsal Hall
The future heart of musical preparation, the Rehearsal Hall will serve as the primary space for ensembles, music education courses, master classes, and studio sessions. Fully integrated with the building’s Dante sound system, this space is where the behind-the-scenes magic truly happens. Join Kyle, Sam, and Lee to learn more about how this space will foster musical creativity and collaboration.
A flexible, multi-purpose venue designed to meet the varied needs of art, music, and dance. From rehearsals and recitals to special events, it adapts with ease. Seamlessly connected to the Great Hall Gallery, it enhances the Center’s ability to host simultaneous, cross-disciplinary arts experiences. Join Kelly, Kyle, and Lee for a closer look at this dynamic creative hub.
Arts Lab
Classroom spaces
Our interactive, state-of-the-art classrooms at the Osher School of Music are being designed to support innovative teaching methods and inspire the next generation of creative professionals here in Southern Maine. Step into one of our signature smart classrooms with Kyle and Lee to discover the technology and features that make these learning environments truly exceptional.
Studio spaces
You’ve never seen, or heard, practice rooms like these. Imagine sitting in these sunlit, sound-enhanced, and sound-proofed studios honing your next performance. Join Kyle and Lee from the Osher School of Music in our future piano practice studio — Steinways, here we come!
Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts
This airy new studio space will host workshops, classes, and exhibitions dedicated to the creation of unique, hand-printed books — a giant printing press at its center — join Annie and Lee for a sneak peek inside this welcoming visual arts studio for the Book Arts.
“My brother Bob and I have always believed that developing artists deserve more than encouragement. They deserve excellent instruction, spaces worthy of their talent, and a community that believes in them.
That’s why the Crewe Center is the fulfillment of the legacy we built together. To the students who will walk through its doors: This place was built for you. Right here in the heart of Portland, you now have a home worthy of your musical and artistic gifts — and the tools to grow them. This is a place to take risks, be bold, and shape the future of sight and sound in Maine and beyond.”
Support the development of the Crewe Center for the Arts today!
© 2025 University of Southern Maine | A member of the University of Maine System | P.O. Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104 | 1-800-800-4876
See inside the Crewe Center
Keep scrolling for an exclusive sneak peek into some of our favorite future spaces with some of our creative forces here at USM behind this transformation.
Keep scrolling for an exclusive sneak peek into some of our favorite future spaces with some of our creative forces here at USM behind this transformation.
See inside the Crewe Center
With the Crewe Center’s stunning design and smart technologies, we’re on our way to selecting the pianos to match!
The University of Southern Maine is poised to become the first college or university in Maine to become an All-Steinway institution — a designation that’s symbolic of the highest-ranked music programs globally and a rare status for a regional public university.
Cutting-edge acoustics deserve world-class sound
Selection underway
This summer, it is our goal to select 26 Steinway pianos (including Steinway-designed pianos) for the building — matching our Osher School of Music students with practice and performance tools worthy of their talents, and offering audiences here in Southern Maine a new destination for breathtaking sound.
The Crewe Center for the Arts
Opening Fall 2025
This summer, it is our goal to select 26 Steinway pianos (including Steinway-designed pianos) for the building — matching our Osher School of Music students with practice and performance tools worthy of their talents, and offering audiences here in Southern Maine a new destination for breathtaking sound.
Selection underway
To the students who will walk through its doors: This place was built for you.
Dan & Bob Crewe
Dan Crewe ’22H
The Bob Crewe Foundation
