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ABOUT THE AUDITORIUM |
ABOUT THE AUDITORIUM In 1937, an Art Deco auditorium was added to the 1914 Spencer High School building. The addition, which also included classrooms, was a project of the Public Works Administration. Walter Thomas, a Spencer citizen, was influential in getting PWA funds to Spencer for the auditorium. At the time, R. M. Tuttle was the president of the school board. The architects were Keffer & Jones of Des Moines. The Spencer High School Auditorium was constructed with a total of 1,122 seats at a time when the population of Spencer was just over 5,000 and class sizes hovered just below 100. The size of the auditorium is proof that the building was intended to be a community auditorium as well as serve the needs of the school. The 1937 auditorium also serves as an excellent example of Art Deco architecture design. The strong geometric character of Art Deco architecture is exhibited on the north façade between the second and third floor windows and above the main entrance doors; in the interior light fixtures, the details above the ticket booth, and details on both the walls and the original seats. The Auditorium is the largest gathering and performance space for the students, parents, staff, and faculty of the district. Countless school events have taken place on its stage, ranging from school plays and concerts to award ceremonies and graduations. The auditorium was used by the school and the community. The only other large gathering spaces in Spencer had been the Opera House and the high school assembly hall. I n 1931, however, the Opera House was destroyed by the fire that burned much of downtown Spencer. After that, the assembly hall remained the only large space for the community until the auditorium was built in 1937. The auditorium was used by the community on countless occasions over the past seventy-two years. Throughout its existence, community concerts have been presented at the auditorium. The Clay County Concert League was formed in 1938 to provide programming in the new high school auditorium. The first concert was a performance by the Vienna Boys Choir on November 2, 1938. The Concert League’s successor, the Spencer Area Concert Association, is still in existence, and the Vienna Boys Choir’s return to the auditorium in 2009 was covered by Iowa Public Television. Between 1938 and the present, community concert series, the local arts council, and programs such as the Hancher Auditorium SPOT program have brought rising young performers as well as established acts to the auditorium stage.The Spencer Rotary’s travelogue series was held in the auditorium during the 1960s and 1970s. The travelogue series engaged speakers who recently had traveled out of the country or somewhere in the United States. The speakers would generally share slides and talk about their travels. In the 1980s, the Spencer City Council held public hearings in the auditorium when large crowds were expected. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have held county and district conventions in the auditorium . In addition, various political speeches were held in the auditorium over the years. Most recently, Barack Obama made an appearance in the auditorium in December 2007 during his presidential election campaign. Along with the school building, the auditorium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of Spencer’s Iowa Great Places projects.
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Page design by Friends of the Old Spencer High School Auditorium |