Renovated Appleton Auditorium of the Fuller Arts at Springfield College, 2009
Description:
This is a photograph of the inside the renovated Appleton Auditorium of the Fuller Arts Center at Springfield Center in 2009. The photograph is taken from the first row of the middle section facing the end of the side section of the seats.
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
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Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
The auditorium is named after Julius and Louise Appleton's youngest son, who died in a car accident. The auditorium can accommodate a diversity of activities, such as plays, films, concerts, and public lectures. The renovation also included a new entrance to the building, a new facade of glass, brick, limestone, new flooring, and a track-lighted ceiling.In 1973, undergraduate Dennis St. Jean and his friends came up with the idea of building a theater on campus. They produced and directed the College’s first “Best of Broadway” in Moses Hall and, along with the handful of money they collected from the show, gave the money as a “down payment” on the new theater to President Wilbert E. Locklin. By the late '70s the fund grew to $10,000, and the future theater was incorporated into the Capital Campaign. By 1978 Art Linkletter, the famed entertainer and one of the main contributors to the Art Linkletter Natatorium, had contributed $50,000 himself. Other leading contributors were Julius and Louise Appleton, the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, and the George I. Alden Trust. Construction began on the corner of Hickory Street and Wilbraham Avenue on March 3, 1983. The total cost of the building was $850,000. On May 4, 1984, Art Linkletter hosted the dedication performance. The original stage was 4’4” high, 47 feet wide and 23 feet deep. The stage had a remote controlled movie screen measuring 18 feet wide and 13.5 feet high. The Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for the renovation was held on Thursday, March 5, 2009.
