The Fine Arts Center's lobby has won the prestigious 2000 Boston Society of Architects Honor award for Design Excellence. Out of 122 submissions of work by Massachusetts's architects done throughout the world, only 12 were chosen to receive the award. The lobby was designed by the architecture firm of Perry Dean Rogers and Partners. The contractor was Handford Contractors out of Springfield.

In considering the awards the jurors looked for projects that took risks, were innovative, advanced the discussion of design and that skillfully married a contemporary addition to an historic resource. The juror's comments regarding the Fine Arts Center lobby went as follows: "The selection of materials is thoughtful and the detailing inventive... This a beautiful addition, a light sculpture, and a nice contrast to the original building... This too is Modernism as history."

Perry Dean Rogers and Partners was chosen to design the enclosure based on their past work at other campuses and communities throughout the country. They are particularly renown for incorporating light and color as an integral part of their design. For instance, their goal for lighting the lobby "...was not one of even illumination, but rather one of drama and focus reinforced through the controlled use of shadow, light and the powerful use of color. Much as a theatrical set is brought to life through the use of unseen light sources, this lobby will be similarly illuminated, controlling what the viewer sees and creating a strong emotive response. The result is a heightened sense of drama to prepare the theatergoer for what lies ahead."