The decision to at least postpone any further consideration of building new facilities for the Eastman School of Music did not address the deteriorating condition of the existing buildings and the need to renovate and refurbish them to best provide for the school's needs in the immediate future. A plan, therefore, was developed after extensive consultations with faculty, students, and staff. Wendell Brase, who had left Eastman for his new responsibilities at the university's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, was placed in charge of the overall administration of the plan, including architectural programming, financial planning, and design control. Richard Edinger, who was assistant superintendent of the Eastman physical plant, was assigned responsibility for cost control, contracts, and construction management. The architectural firm of Todd & Giroux of Rochester was selected for the design of every major aspect of the renovation plan, with Michael Doran as architect in charge. Total cost would be $5 million, of which $2.8 million came from funds raised by the University of Rochester in the 1960s, plus $2.2 million from the university's current fund-raising campaign, “The Campaign for Rochester.” The philosophy governing the renovation was to identify selective projects that were manageable in size, projects that could be undertaken without major disruption of any educational activities. An overall goal was to increase the amount of usable space, while decreasing operating and maintenance costs.

Excluding student residence halls, the Eastman School of Music campus in 1973 consisted of five buildings. The oldest was the school building itself on Gibbs Street. It opened in 1921 and contained administrative offices, classrooms, and studios, and it was the location of the school's principal recital facility, Kilbourn Hall. The Eastman Theatre, a separate building sharing a common facade with the school, opened in 1922 on the corner of Main Street and Gibbs Street. Because it was originally intended to attract audiences for music by presenting lavish movie shows and stage presentations as well as concerts and recitals, the theater included an area of offices and rooms on the upper floors in the front of the building that were originally provided because of the large staff needed for the big shows.