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Groundbreaking has been set for St. Louis Public Radio and the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ new home in Grand Center.

The public radio station’s general manager, Tim Eby, confirms that work will begin on the site just east of KETC public television on Friday, April 15. The three-story, 27,000-square-foot building is expected to take one year to complete.

Eby says the university is still raising money to pay for the $10 million project. In addition to housing the radio station’s studios, there will UMSL classroom space and meeting space for community events in the new building.

“We’re doubling our capacity for production so that we’ll be able to get into our studios to do more news and programs," Eby said. "We will have larger space so that we could actually do broadcasts of St. Louis on the Air and Cityscape from the site with a live audience. We’ll have more space so that we can bring more reporters and producers on.”

Grand Center Inc. has donated the land that the building will sit on. The space is currently a parking lot for the Fox Theater and other nearby attractions.

Eby says he hopes to move in to the new building in the spring of 2012.

St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU) is licensed to UMSL.

Updated 5:40 p.m. April 5, 2011.

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