From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 20, 1988:

The Kansas Board of Regents today gave their unanimous approval for a $13 million performing arts center at Kansas University. The architectural firm of Henningson, Durham and Richardson of Omaha, Nebraska, were to use the guidelines endorsed by the regents to design the 2,200-seat auditorium. It had been decided that the performance hall would be called the Lied Center in recognition of a $10 million donation from the Lied Foundation of Las Vegas, Nevada. The foundation had been established by Ernst Lied, who had attended KU for two years before graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1927. The new facility for music, theater, and dance performances was to be located on 20 acres west of the Daisy Hill residence hall complex, southwest of 15th and Iowa. Groundbreaking was planned for October 1989 and completion of the center by April 1992. The building was expected to cost $10.7 million, with an additional $375,000 for site work, $800,000 for the architectural firm, and $150,000 for consultants. The new Lied Center was expected to reduce KU’s reliance on Hoch Auditorium, which was plagued by poor acoustics and uncomfortable seating, and Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall, which was tightly scheduled.