 Placement of the school in the West End in proximity to venues like the Peace Center for the Performing Arts was also noted in reinforcing the area's arts and entertainment identity.Original campusInitial plans by Freeman|Major Architects drew inspiration from Italian architecture and built around the idea of a European artist village.The main complex, oriented around a communal courtyard and amphitheater facing north, contains a variety of arts studios, administrative offices, and academic classrooms generally organized into departmental centers (e.g., the Hartness Guinn Center for Music, the John and Genevieve Sakas Center for Drama, the Dorothy Peace Ramsaur Center for Academics, etc.