The La Follette School of Public Affairs announced a potential move to Music Hall on Bascom Hill Jan. 25, according to Student Project Assistant Samuel Landowski.

The proposed move would involve renovations and additions to the current Music Hall building, according to the Architect Matthew Aro in a conference with UW faculty.

Originally named Assembly Hall, Music Hall opened in March 1880 and was built to accommodate the University of Wisconsin’s needs for a central meeting place for convocations, installations, memorials and more. Many speakers and politicians would also use Music Hall as a space for debates, speeches and events to address the general public.

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Landowski said former Wisconsin governor Robert La Follette — who the school is named after — spoke there many times, emphasizing the historical significance of the building to the school.

The move to Music Hall would provide another public forum for students to discuss policy issues, Landowski said.

Music Hall eventually needed to expand due to its overwhelming usage, and in 1900, it underwent renovations, adding piano studios, rehearsal spaces and a music library. In 1910, Assembly Hall was renamed Music Hall, and in 1969, the School of Music moved to the Mosse Humanities building, according to the UW Libraries website.

Music Hall still serves as one of UW’s central libraries, according to the UW Libraries website. A second round of renovations for its auditorium occurred in 1985, as its auditorium remains a vital and important music venue for students on campus.

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Music Hall currently houses the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, which is planning to open a new facility in Helen C. White Hall in the near future, leaving a vacancy for the La Follette School of Public Affairs, according to the UW Libraries Website.

Landowski said the future of La Follette expansion involves more than just this proposed renovation, citing two new certificates for undergraduates in the School. Having Music Hall would provide adequate space for the School, Landowski said.

The proposed project would be set to begin in 2027, Landowski said.