Clowes Memorial Hall

Last updated
Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University
Clowes Hall - 2012.jpg
Clowes Memorial Hall in 2012
USA Indiana location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University
Location of Clowes Memorial Hall in Indiana
Address4602 Sunset Avenue
Indianapolis,
Indiana
United States
Coordinates 39°50′25″N86°10′11″W / 39.840278°N 86.169722°W / 39.840278; -86.169722
Owner Butler University
OperatorButler University
Capacity 2,096
2,172 possible
Current use Performing arts
Construction
OpenedOctober 18, 1963;58 years ago (1963-10-18)
Years active1963–present
Architect Evans Woollen III and John M. Johansen
Website
www.butlerartscenter.org/venue/clowes-memorial-hall

Clowes Memorial Hall, officially known as Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University, is a performance hall located on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened October 18, 1963, it hosts numerous significant concerts, orchestras, musicals, plays, and guest speakers. Clowes Hall anchors the Butler Arts and Events Center, which includes the Schrott Center for the Arts, Shelton Auditorium, the Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall, and the Lilly Hall Studio Theatre. [1]

Contents

History

Clowes ( /klz/ ) Memorial Hall, which opened in 1963, was co-designed by noted Indianapolis architect Evans Woollen III, of Woollen, Molzan and Partners, and John M. Johansen, a well-known architect who established his practice in New Canaan, Connecticut. The performing hall is notable for its exposed concrete slabs, which are typical of the Brutalist architecture style. [2] Woollen served as the junior partner in the project but was the "driving force behind its design and detail." [3] Since it opened, the architectural community has praised its bold design. [3] In 2021, a six-person panel of American Institute of Architects (AIA) Indianapolis members identified the venue among the ten most "architecturally significant" buildings completed in the city since World War II. [4]

The design for the 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m2), $3.5 million building was a controversial one. Still, Allen Whitehill Clowes, son of George Henry Alexander Clowes, for whom the building is named, supported Woollen's proposal. Johanson had been Woollen's professor at Yale and was a former classmate of Allen Clowes at Harvard University. [5]

Clowes, a former director of biochemical research for Eli Lilly and Company, maintained a lifetime love of the arts. With the help of his wife and Butler University, the Clowes Fund was created to help build the performing arts facility. The building was initially intended to be used by both Butler University and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. This joint venture continued until 1984 when the orchestra purchased, renovated, and moved to the historic Hilbert Circle Theatre on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. [1]

Notable performances

In addition to being the former home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Clowes Memorial Hall has been home to a number of notable music performances and productions. In 2011, Adam Lambert recorded his Glam Nation Tour at the venue for the Glam Nation Live CD/DVD set.

Seating capacity

Seating areaCapacity
Main Floor1,218
First Terrace and Boxes307
Second Terrace and Boxes289
Third Terrace and Boxes282
Pit Seating
(limited viewing seats)
76
Total capacity2,172

See also

Related Research Articles

Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. The style commonly makes use of exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette; other materials, such as steel, timber, and glass, are also featured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler University</span> Private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, US

Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communication, College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Jordan College of the Arts. Its 295-acre (119 ha) campus is approximately five miles (8.0 km) from downtown Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Mary's College (Indiana)</span> Liberal arts college in Notre Dame, Indiana, U.S.

Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic women's liberal arts college college in Notre Dame, Indiana. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the name of the school refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Herron School of Art and Design Art school in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the only professional art school in Indiana and has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design since 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra</span> Symphonic orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is an American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circle.

Grainger Engineering Library

The Grainger Engineering Library is a library at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign College of Engineering for all disciplines of engineering at the University. It is situated on the north side of the Bardeen Quad on the engineering campus along Springfield Avenue. The Grainger Engineering Library is the largest library in the United States for the study of engineering. It is one of several "departmental" libraries that constitute the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign University Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Union Station</span> Train station in Indianapolis, Indiana

The Indianapolis Union Station is an intercity train station in the Wholesale District of Indianapolis, Indiana. The terminal is served by Amtrak's Cardinal line, passing through Indianapolis three times weekly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Public Library</span> Public library system in Marion County, Indiana, U.S.

The Indianapolis Public Library (IndyPL), formerly known as the Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library, is the public library system serving the citizens of Marion County, Indiana, United States and its largest city, Indianapolis. The library was founded in 1873 and has grown to include a Central Library building, located adjacent to the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza, and 24 branch libraries spread throughout the county.

John MacLane Johansen was an architect and a member of the Harvard Five. Johansen took an active role in the modern movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old National Centre</span> Performing arts center in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

The Old National Centre, formerly known as the Murat Shrine Temple and the Murat Shrine Center, is located at North and New Jersey streets in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is owned by the Murat Shriners of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The theater portion of the building is now known as the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre or simply the Murat Theatre and houses the oldest extant stage house in downtown Indianapolis. It is the only Shrine Center in the world with a name of French origin and is the largest Shrine Center in North America.

Bohlen, Meyer, Gibson and Associates

Bohlen, Meyer, Gibson and Associates, or BMG, is an architectural firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was founded in Indianapolis on April 10, 1853, as D. A. Bohlen, Architect by Diedrich A. Bohlen, German immigrant. In 1884, after Diedrich's son, Oscar D. Bohlen, joined the firm it was renamed D. A. Bohlen and Son. Four successive generations of Bohlen architects have worked at the firm: Diedrich A. Bohlen, Oscar D. Bohlen, August C. Bohlen, and Robert L. Bohlen. The firm specialized in institutional projects, especially civic, religious, and educational buildings. In 1971 Melvin B. G. Meyer acquired majority interest in the firm, which adopted its name in reference to its founder and its two principal architects, Meyer and John M. Gibson. The architectural firm is among the oldest still operating in the United States. More than twenty of its projects are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Kurt Vonnegut was an American architect and architectural lecturer active in early- to mid-twentieth-century Indianapolis, Indiana. A member of the American Institute of Architects, he was partner in the firms of Vonnegut & Bohn, Vonnegut, Bohn & Mueller, and Vonnegut, Wright, and Yeager. He designed several churches, banks, and became the in-house architect for Indiana Bell and Hooks Drug stores, practicing extensively in the Art Deco style. He was the father of chemist Bernard Vonnegut and author Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Woollen, Molzan and Partners

Woollen, Molzan and Partners (WMP) is a U.S.-based second-generation architecture, interior design, and planning firm that Evans Woollen III founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955. The firm was previously known as Evans Woollen and Associates and Woollen Associates. It remained in business for more than fifty-five years before closing its doors in 2011. Woollen began by designing mid-century modern residences, but the firm's design projects expanded to include a diverse portfolio of designs for libraries, worship facilities, museums, performing arts centers, private residences, public housing, and correctional facilities, among other projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minton–Capehart Federal Building</span> Federal building in Indianapolis, IN, USA

The Minton–Capehart Federal Building is a United States federal building in Indianapolis, Indiana, that is named in honor of former U.S. Senator and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton and former U.S. Senator Homer E. Capehart.

The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is a nonprofit chamber orchestra headquartered at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2019-2020 it will celebrate its 35th season.

Evans Woollen III was an American architect who is credited for introducing the Modern and the Brutalist architecture styles to his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Woollen, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, was active in the field from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s. He established his own architecture firm in Indianapolis in 1955 that became known as Woollen, Molzan and Partners; it dissolved in 2011. As a pacesetter among architects in the Midwest, Woollen, dubbed the dean of Indiana architects, was noted for his use of bold materials and provocative, modern designs.

Caroline Marmon Fesler was an American art and music patron, cultural philanthropist, and fine-art collector. Her contributions to the Indianapolis, Indiana, arts community included financial support and gifts of fine art to the Art Association of Indianapolis, in addition to serving as a board member of Herron School of Art (1916–1947) and president of the Art Association of Indianapolis (1941–1947). Fesler was also a patron of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and founded the city's Ensemble Music Society. Her major art collecting interests and acquisitions tended toward Post-Impressionist and modernist paintings, although not exclusively, and included paintings by Georges Braque, Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe, Georges Seurat, and Vincent van Gogh, among others. The Marmon Memorial Collection, which Fesler established in honor of her parents, remains an important part of the Indianapolis Museum of Art's permanent collections.

References

  1. 1 2 Gadski, Mary Ellen (2021) [1994]. "Clowes Memorial Hall". Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Library. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  2. Drawbaugh, Kevin A. (February 16, 1988). "Woollen's Mark Seen on Major Indiana Buildings". Indianapolis News. Indianapolis: C3. See: "Biographical" Sketch in Woollen, Molzan and Partners, Inc. Architectural Records, ca. 1912–2011. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. 2017. See also: Mary Ellen Gadski, "Woollen, Molzan and Partners" in David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, ed. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 1453–54. ISBN   0-253-31222-1.
  3. 1 2 Trounstine, Philip J. (May 9, 1976). "Evans Woollen: Struggles of a 'Good Architect'". Indianapolis Star Magazine. Indianapolis, Indiana: 23.
  4. Shuey, Mickey (December 3, 2021). "Indy's Top 10 architecturally wondrous buildings". Indianapolis Business Journal. IBJ Media. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  5. Fernandez, Megan (June 2010). "The Pillar: Evans Woollen". Indianapolis Monthly. Indianapolis, Indiana: 68. Retrieved December 18, 2017.