John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium

The John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium, or Emens Auditorium, is an auditorium on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The facility is used to host Broadway shows, plays, multi-genre concerts, and university events, as well as regional events for eastern Indiana. Emens Auditorium has a seating capacity of 3,581.[1] The Auditorium was opened on March 14, 1964, when Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians performed.[2] Attached to the rear of the facility is a smaller theater used for performing arts shows.

John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium
General information
TypeAuditorium
Architectural stylePostmodern
LocationBall State University
1800 West Riverside Avenue
Muncie, Indiana
United States
Coordinates40.2011°N 85.4070°W / 40.2011; -85.4070
Named forJohn R. Emens
Completed1964
Design and construction
Architect(s)Walter Scholer & Associates
Website
www.bsu.edu/emens

General information

Emens cost $2.975 million to build in 1964.[3] The architect was Walter Scholer, and the contractor was Hagerman Construction Co., Fort Wayne, Indiana. The stage is 144 feet wide by 45 feet deep, and stage floor to gridiron is 78 feet. The proscenium arch is 82 feet wide. A sixteen-ton fireproof curtain divides the stage from the house. Its opening date or "Sneak Previews" for the public was on March 14 and 15, 1964, dedication, October 25, 1964. The official name of the venue is John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium. To build Emens, a charity fund-raising was begun in 1960 and succeeded its goal of $1.5 million by $10,532 on January 25, 1964. The auditorium was named for the president of the school at that time John R. Emens. The university honored his wife five years after the opening by naming the art-filled lounge on the auditorium's second floor the Aline Brainerd Lounge.[4] The auditorium adds more than $2 million to the local economy each summer and presents concerts to the public.[5]

History

Planning for the auditorium began as early as 1947, but the U-shaped building was not actually built until 1961. The structure includes the Hargreaves Music Building, Arts and Communications Building, and the 410-seat University Theatre. In its first 25 years, more than 3.6 million people visited the then 3,581-seat auditorium to see 2,335 programs. The acoustic scalloped ceiling and state-of-the-art sound capabilities of Emens Auditorium account for the attraction of many artists to performing in this facility. After a performance in 1969, Bill Cosby said, "This is the greatest hall I have ever played ... the greatest acoustics."

Performers and speakers

Since the grand opening in 1964, many artists, individuals, musicians, and shows have appeared at Emens, including United States President Gerald Ford, David Letterman, Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, Victor Borge, illusionist David Copperfield, comedian Adam Sandler, musicals Cats and Les Misérables, Red Skelton, B.B. King, the Temptations, Third Eye Blind, and the Dixie Chicks.

References
  1. "About Emens". Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  2. 1964 Orient Yearbook. p. 164.
  3. "Richard Emens on behalf of his parents". Ball State University. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  4. "Emens entering 50th year creating history". The Star Press. Archived from the original on November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  5. "Big names Emens through years". The Star Press. Archived from the original on November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  6. "Past Speakers". Ball State University. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
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