Bridges Auditorium

Last updated
Mabel Shaw Bridges Music Auditorium
Bridges Auditorium march.jpg
Bridges Auditorium
Alternative namesBig Bridges
General information
Type Auditorium
Architectural style Renaissance Revival [1]
Address450 N. College Way
Town or city Claremont, California
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 34°05′53″N117°42′44″W / 34.09806°N 117.71222°W / 34.09806; -117.71222
Named forMabel Shaw Bridges
Construction started1930 [2]
Completed1931 [2]
Opened1932 [1]
Renovated1975 [1]
Cost$650,000 [3]
Owner Pomona College
Height28.9 m (95 ft)
Technical details
MaterialSteel, reinforced concrete [3]
Floor area60,000 square feet (5,600 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s) William Templeton Johnson [1]
Other information
Seating capacity2494 [1]
Public transit access Claremont Metrolink icon.svg
Website
pomona.edu/administration/bridges-auditorium

The Mabel Shaw Bridges Music Auditorium, more commonly known as Bridges Auditorium or Big Bridges (to distinguish it from nearby Bridges Hall of Music, known as Little Bridges [4] ), is a 2500-seat auditorium at Pomona College in Claremont, California, United States. It was designed by William Templeton Johnson and opened in 1932. It hosts a variety of performances for the college and outside groups.

Contents

History

Big Bridges under construction in 1931 Construction of Bridges Auditorium.jpg
Big Bridges under construction in 1931

The auditorium was built as a joint project of the Claremont Colleges consortium. It was sponsored by the parents of Mabel Shaw Bridges, a student in Pomona's class of 1908 who died of illness in her junior year, [5] and H.H. Timken, president of the Timken Roller Bearing Company. [2] [6]

From its completion until the opening of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1964, it was arguably the premier destination of choice for prominent visitors to Southern California. [7] It was also the largest collegiate auditorium on the West Coast, with a capacity nearly twice that of Pomona and equal to that of the city of Claremont. [2] The Los Angeles Philharmonic frequently performed there. [7]

The auditorium was renovated from 1975 to 1977 for seismic retrofitting and cosmetic repairs. [1] [8] In 2007, control was transferred from the consortium to Pomona individually. [9] [10] [11]

Pomona's 2015 master plan classifies Big Bridges as a "building notable for establishing the distinctive context" of the college, and describes it as a symbol of the college's regional civic engagement. [12] A 2015 environmental impact report from the college identifies it as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, [13] although as of 2020 the college has not yet applied for it to be listed. John Neiuber, writing for the Claremont Courier in 2017, expressed surprise it is not listed. [14]

Architecture

Big Bridges viewed from across Marston Quadrangle Bridges Auditorium, Pomona College.JPG
Big Bridges viewed from across Marston Quadrangle

Big Bridges is the primary visual anchor point for the east side of Marston Quadrangle, the center of Pomona's campus. It was constructed in a Renaissance Revival style modeled after northern Italy, [1] and incorporates Art Deco elements. [5] It has large porticos on its front and sides with arched columns, [15] and a large formally adorned foyer inside the main entrance. The building's frieze features the names of five eminent composers; [2] it was the target of a famous 1975 prank in which the one for Frédéric Chopin was replaced with one honoring Frank Zappa. [16] [8] [17]

The auditorium has a capacity of 2,494 people, including a 500-seat cantilevered balcony. [1] There are no supporting columns, allowing all seats to have unobstructed views of the 62-by-36-foot (19 m × 11 m) proscenium. [2]

The basement has a historical exhibit. [18]

Ceiling

External image
Searchtool.svg Interior of Big Bridges, showing the ceiling mural

A mural by Italian-American artist John B. Smeraldi covers the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) parabolic domed ceiling of the auditorium. [1] It depicts a variety of constellations in silver and gold leaf [19] against a pale blue background. [2]

Usage

An orientation session for the Pomona class of 2020 in Big Bridges Pomona College class of 2020 orientation in Bridges Auditorium.jpg
An orientation session for the Pomona class of 2020 in Big Bridges

Big Bridges hosts a variety of events and performances for the college, including orientation sessions, concerts, and guest speaker lectures. The college also rents the auditorium to outside groups. A number of films and television shows have used the auditorium as a set. [20]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremont Colleges</span> College consortium in Claremont, California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomona College</span> Liberal arts college in Claremont, California

Pomona College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became the founding member of the Claremont Colleges consortium of adjacent, affiliated institutions.

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<i>The Student Life</i> Student newspaper of the Claremont Colleges

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KSPC is a non-commercial college and community radio station based in Claremont, California, broadcasting at 88.7 MHz on the FM band and streaming online. It was founded in 1956 as a Pomona College student organization and later expanded to the other Claremont Colleges (7Cs). KSPC is funded by the Associated Students of Pomona College and other 7C student associations.

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<i>The Spirit of Spanish Music</i> Sculpture by Burt William Johnson

The Spirit of Spanish Music is a sculpture by Burt William Johnson . It was commissioned by the Pomona College class of 1915 and placed in the Lebus Court of the Mabel Shaw Bridges Hall of Music at Pomona College, one of a group of buildings conceived for the expansion of Pomona College and built in the mid-1910s by architect Myron Hunt using details of the "ornamental Spanish style".

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The Mabel Shaw Bridges Hall of Music, more commonly known as Little Bridges, is a concert hall at Pomona College in Claremont, California, designed by Myron Hunt and opened in 1915. It was sponsored by a $100,000 gift from the parents of Mabel Shaw Bridges, a student in Pomona's class of 1908 who died of illness her junior year. It is used for a variety of musical and non-musical purposes, and is considered the "architectural gem" of Pomona's campus and one of Hunt's finest works.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "About Bridges Auditorium". Pomona College. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1931". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  3. 1 2 Harth, Marjorie L. (2007). Pomona College: Reflections on a campus. Claremont, Calif.: Pomona College. pp. 100–103. ISBN   978-0-9786996-5-9.
  4. ↑ Allen, David (3 October 2015). "Bridges Hall of Music hits right notes for 100 years". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin . Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  5. 1 2 Neiuber, John (2 June 2020). "Bring life back to the Village with walking tour". Claremont Courier . Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Colleges plan new buildings". Los Angeles Times . 7 Sep 1928. p. 36. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  7. 1 2 Rhodes, Mick (22 August 2017). "Colleges put Claremont in the spotlight". Claremont Courier . Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 "1975". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ↑ Gordon, Larry (21 April 2008). "A departure sadly noted". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "1994". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "2007". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Pomona College 2015 Campus Master Plan" (PDF). Pomona College. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "Pomona College 2015 Campus Master Plan Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report". City of Claremont. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  14. ↑ Neiuber, John (13 January 2017). "The National Register of Historic Places". Claremont Courier . Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  15. ↑ Finkel, Jori (18 January 2012). "James Turrell on Burning Bridges, part of January's PST festival". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  16. ↑ Allen, David (9 February 2013). "Who really composed Frank Zappa prank of the '70s?". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin . Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  17. ↑ Kendall, Mark. "A Carefully Calculated Caper" (PDF). Pomona College Magazine. No. Fall 2012. Pomona College. pp. 16–19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  18. ↑ Wood, Mark (28 June 2017). "Big Bridges Hall of Fame". Pomona College Magazine. Pomona College. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  19. ↑ "John B. Smeraldi". Bridges Auditorium - Pomona College. Facebook . Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  20. ↑ "Movies and Television at Bridges Auditorium". Pomona College. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
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