Fayez Sarofim’s name will adorn the next building at Rice University, a $25 million home for the Visual and Dramatic Arts Department that further defines an arts district on the southwest side of the campus.

The university declined to disclose the amount of Sarofim’s gift. An architect has not yet been selected for the project, and the construction timeline has yet to be set.

So, big question now: Will this donor and the powers that be at the university want a new building that looks as distinctive as the grey brick, steel and glass Moody Center for the Arts, designed by Michael Maltzan, or one that conforms to Rice’s classical architectural heritage like the newly built Brockman Music and Performing Arts Center next to the Shepherd School of Music’s Alice Pratt Brown Hall?

In a press release, Humanities dean Kathleen Canning spoke of the next building as a “visionary new space.” The 50,000-square foot facility will be sited next to Moody Center and built with a combination of university funds and philanthropic donations. “Fayez Sarofim’s generous gift has inspired all of us,” Canning said.

Rice’s visual and dramatic arts department has grown significantly since the late 1960s, when patrons Dominique and John de Menil brought art historians, an art library, a photography and film program and technical staff to the campus. In recent decades, the humble-looking Rice Media Center — the site where much of that early activity took place — has been the last visible evidence of their involvement.

But the popular arts and visual design department serves 900 students, roughly a quarter of the school’s undergraduates. And arts programming has evolved at Rice in recent years, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborations that involve engineering, computer science and architecture.

Sarofim’s latest gift follows a $70 million commitment to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s expansion project, where the entire campus now bears his name and that of his wife, Susan Sarofim.

“Without Fayez Sarofim’s generosity and guidance, Rice and many other institutions in Houston would not be what they are today,” said Rice University President David Leebron.

molly.glentzer@chron.com