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The Foellinger Auditorium, located at 709 S. Mathews Avenue in Urbana, Illinois on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a concert hall and the university's largest lecture hall. It is the southernmost building on the main quad. Its size and its dome make it one of the university’s most recognizable buildings. The building was completed in 1907 and was designed by Clarence H. Blackall, a noted theatre designer, in the Beaux-Arts style. The building is essentially a circle with a 120-foot diameter covering 17,000 square feet, with a large vestibule on the north side, and 396 lights in its copper dome.〔("History" ) on the Foellinger Auditorium website. Retrieved October 8, 2008.〕〔 Originally dedicated to the composer Edward MacDowell, the building was rededicated on April 26, 1985 in honor of Helene Foellinger, whose gift to the university enabled the facility to undergo a major renovation.〔("Dedication - Foellinger Auditorium" ) at ''UIHistories Project''〕 ==History== The idea for an Auditorium began in 1905 with the university's president, Edmund Janes James, who wanted to build a "noble monument" dedicated to the art of music. He wrote: "I am interested in having this the greatest hall of the kind in the Mississippi Valley".〔French, John. ("Foellinger Auditorium looks back on a sensational century" ) Illinois Alumni Magazine''〕 The university's trustees chose noted theatre designer and UI alumnus (Class of 1877) Clarence H. Blackall – who was responsible for the Wilbur and Colonial Theatres in Boston, among many others〔 – and a site was chosen for the new building. Blackall later said about the location: Out University of Illinois will focus about the Auditorium. This building is located upon the only commanding site of the entire grounds, at the crest of the slight rise towards the south from Green Street, where it will form the center of the growth for many years to come, so that ultimately this structure which now seems in a way too far to the south, will be surrounded on all sides by large and developed schools.〔("Dedication - Foellinger Auditorium" ) at ''UIHistories Project''. p.5〕 Blackall developed a design which was estimated to cost $200,000 to build. Unfortunately the state legislature only authorized $100,000 which necessitated Blackall making some drastic changes in his design, which originally called for an auditorium that would cover , have a copper dome with a smaller glass oculus, and 2,500 seats,〔 as well as a south wing which would be the home for the School of Music.〔("Dedication - Foellinger Auditorium" ) at ''UIHistories Project''. p.6〕 Blackall reduced the overall size of the building, had the dome constructed out of sheet metal, and eliminated the backstage areas, although he arranged the design in such a way as to allow the future addition of a backstage.〔 Despite the funding shortages, construction of what was originally called simply "the Auditorium" began and ended in 1907.〔("Campus Tours: Foellinger Auditorium" ), Retrieved October 8, 2008〕 It was constructed on a granite foundation of brick and Indiana limestone.〔 Despite the deviations from Blackall's original plan, upon the building’s completion and its two-day dedication on November 4 and 5, 1907, it was capable of holding 2,500 students, more than the entire student body at the time.〔 The building was originally dedicated to the noted composer Edward MacDowell. Blackall was not pleased about the changes necessitated by the budget shortfall. He complained to university architect James McLaren White in 1923: "My best wish for that building would be to have it go up in smoke some night, and somebody would have the chance to rebuild it right."〔O'Kelly, Meaghan. ("Foellinger Auditorium turns 100" ) ''Daily Illini''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Foellinger Auditorium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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