Cross-section sketch of the Fuller Arts Center at Springfield College
Description:
This is a cross section sketch of the Fuller Arts Center at Springfield College. From right to left is the Linkletter Lobby, the control room, the Appleton Hall, and the stage. The Linkletter Lobby also serves as the center's art gallery, and is named after Art Linkletter, the famed entertainer. The control room is used to control the lights, sounds, and other effects.
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Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
The Appleton Hall is named in memory of Julius and Louise Appleton's son who died in an car accident. The Appleton Auditorium originally had 300 seats and can accommodate a diversity of activities, such as plays, films, concerts, and public lectures. Originally the stage was 4'4'' high, 47' wide, and 23' deep. 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, 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 building was renovated and rededicated in the spring of 2009. Renovations included a new entrance, a new façade of glass, brick, and limestone, new flooring, and a track-lighted ceiling. Other improvements were new stage flooring, curtains, sound system, carpeting, and acoustical wall panels. The Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for the renovation was held on Thursday, March 5, 2009.