Rodeheaver Auditorium to Undergo Facelift
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“Our goal is to improve the function of a building which is the physical centerpiece of our front campus and the “home” of many of the spiritual and Fine Arts programs, which have been a distinctive of BJU since its founding,” said President Dr. Stephen Jones.
The Rodeheaver Auditorium renovation will pull the front of the building significantly forward so that the sidewalk will intersect with a large covered portico and actually pass through the front of the building. The two-story lobby will increase in size to approximately 10,000 square feet, providing much more room for people to circulate before and after performances, and two new grand staircases will facilitate access to the balcony. Coat closet and restroom space will both increase, and the ticket office will be more accessible.
“Several years before my grandfather went home to be with the Lord,” said Dr. Stephen Jones, “he drew up some changes that would improve the use of the building. The plans we will implement are actually very close to his original concepts.”
With the exception of wallpaper and stage curtain changes in the auditorium itself, little has been done to Rodeheaver Auditorium since its construction in 1947 as one of the original 18 buildings on the Greenville campus. “With the rest of front campus updated, it’s time to turn our attention to this classic building which gives visitors their initial impression of our campus,” said Dr. Jones.
The renovation will begin the Monday following commencement. Completion and the grand opening are scheduled for March 2009—in time for the 2009 Living Gallery productions.
With Rodeheaver unavailable for use from early May 2008 through mid-March 2009, a number of major programs and events will need to move to other venues. “We’ve carefully gone through the Calendar of Events and have identified alternative locations for nearly all events,” said Dr. Darren Lawson, dean of the School of Fine Arts. Vespers and large concerts will move to FMA. Other events will move to Stratton Hall, the Davis Field House or the Collins Building at the Academy as appropriate.
More significant changes will involve moving the fall 2008 play, Great Expectations, to November 2009 and the opera, Samson et Dalila to 2010. Love’s Labor’s Lost will be performed in May 2009 as scheduled.
“There will be some inconvenience as we move events to other venues and re-route pedestrian traffic away from the front of the building,” said Dr. Lawson, “but the resulting improvements to Rodeheaver will be well worth the adjustments we’ll make for a few months.”
The fund raising goal to complete the renovation is $1,750,000. Bible Conference offerings in 2008 and in 2009 will help fund the renovation. Undesignated gifts that have been coming in over the last few months have already been directed toward the project. Give online to this project
Note: All images are conceptional renderings and may change.