The Golden Eagles Marching Band will call an area bordering the River Campus its new home by mid-fall, Southeast Missouri State University officials said Monday.

The university's storied marching band has been a fixture on the Southeast campus since 1957. Band members long have practiced in a low-lying field behind Brandt Hall on the main campus.

But that's about to change. The Board of Regents late last week approved a revised fiscal 2017 schedule of major capital-improvement projects that include relocating the band to an area on Morgan Oak Street near the arts campus.

Plans call for the university to lease a single-story brick building at 416 Morgan Oak St. to house band instruments and equipment, as well as offices for the band director and the student equipment manager.

An adjacent empty lot owned by Southeast will be turned into a practice field for the band, said Angela Meyer, director of facilities management. It is northwest of the Fountain Street roundabout.

Meyer said the building, which once housed a Salvation Army thrift store, will be renovated. New restrooms will be built, and the structure will be made handicapped accessible, she said.

Renovation plans are being finalized, which will determine the cost of the improvements, Meyer said. She said costs will be split between the university and property owner.

Meyer said while the university won't own the building, school officials are looking at the structure as a long-term solution that relocates the marching to the River Campus area where the rest of the music department is.

"It is a tremendous advantage for our marching band," said Kevin Hampton, chairman of the music department.

He said band members will be able to leave the new band building with their instruments and walk right onto a new practice field.

At its current location, the band has to truck some of its instruments and equipment from Brandt Hall to a practice field that is not easily accessible from the music building on the main campus, Hampton said.

The marching band program is the last part of the music program at Southeast still housed at Brandt Hall. Once the band program moves, the university will look at how best to re-purpose Brandt Hall, Meyer said.

Opened in 1961, Brandt Hall is named after J.C. Brandt, a music department faculty member who led the music department for 38 years, retiring in 1957.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

416 Morgan Oak St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.