Plans are underway to renovate the Bailey Building and construct a new education building, university officials said.

Bronson Davis, vice chancellor for university advancement, said the architectural firm, Omnivision, should be finished drawing the blueprints by late March.

No plans have been finalized for the $10 million project, said Will Stallworth, associate vice chancellor for facilities. The project team has not held its first meeting and no timeline has been established, he said.

The 18,000 square-foot facility will be built between the Ballet Building and the Bailey Building, said Mary Lane, assistant to the dean in the School of Education. The Math, Science and Technology Institute modular building will be demolished to make room for the new building.

Lane said the new three-story building will better accommodate the growing education school. The school had 390 students in 2003, an increase of 46 students since 2001.

The new building will house more classrooms, a graduate office and the Math, Science and Technology Institute, Lane said.

Students said the new building is needed so education classes won’t be spread across campus.

“Classes are all over the place,” said Brooke Bounds, a sophomore early childhood education major. “We need a lecture hall and more classrooms. With a new building, we’d have better access to our professors.”

The Bailey Building, built in 1914, was the fifth building to be built on campus. It will be gutted and renovated, but its exterior will be saved for historical importance, Lane said.

“The Bailey Building is outdated and badly in need of renovation,” she said.

The building hasn’t been renovated since 1958 when Mary Ann and Robert Bailey donated money to improve the building after the Brite Divinity School moved to its current location, Lane said.

After renovation, which includes the addition of an elevator, the building will be used primarily for office space, Lane said.