Gammage Auditorium
Encyclopedia
Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium is considered to be the last public commission of architect Frank Lloyd Wright
. Groundbreaking took place and construction on the building began on May 23, 1962. It took 25 months to complete. The built-on-time, under-budget building opened in 1964 with the Philadelphia Orchestra
conducted by Eugene Ormandy
.
The auditorium is named for Dr. Grady Gammage
, President of Arizona State University
(ASU) from 1933 to 1959. The auditorium is located on the main campus of Arizona State University in Tempe
at the crossroads of Mill avenue and Apache Boulevard.
The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985.
" pedestrian ramps extending 200 feet (61 m) from the north and east sides of the structure connect the building to the parking lot. The auditorium seats a total of 3,017 people on its main floor, grand tier and balcony. The stage can be adapted for grand opera, Broadway
musicals, dramatic productions, solo productions, organ recitals and lectures http://www.asugammage.com/more/aboutgammage.shtml#abouthttp://www.azhistorytraveler.org/templates/content-view.php?nid=2&sid=515.
The auditorium has a maximum seating capacity of 3,011. It is wheelchair accessible and has an infrared system for 30 hearing-impaired people (in addition to signers).
Stage
Backstage
Deck
Permanent installations: traps in stage, orchestra shell, orchestra pit, hydraulic pit, electricity in pit, music stands, pianos (9' Steinway
, 5' Steinway, Kawai Upright)
Pit
Electrics/Sound
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. Groundbreaking took place and construction on the building began on May 23, 1962. It took 25 months to complete. The built-on-time, under-budget building opened in 1964 with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
conducted by Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
.
The auditorium is named for Dr. Grady Gammage
Grady Gammage
Henry Grady Gammage was an Arizonan educator. He served as the president of Northern Arizona University from 1926 to 1933 and as the president of Arizona State University from 1933 to 1959...
, President of Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
(ASU) from 1933 to 1959. The auditorium is located on the main campus of Arizona State University in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
at the crossroads of Mill avenue and Apache Boulevard.
The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985.
Structure and subsequent changes
The structure measures 300 feet (91.4 m) long by 250 feet (76.2 m) wide by 80 feet (24.4 m) high. Fifty concrete columns support the round roof with its pattern of interlocking circles. Twin "flying buttressFlying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
" pedestrian ramps extending 200 feet (61 m) from the north and east sides of the structure connect the building to the parking lot. The auditorium seats a total of 3,017 people on its main floor, grand tier and balcony. The stage can be adapted for grand opera, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals, dramatic productions, solo productions, organ recitals and lectures http://www.asugammage.com/more/aboutgammage.shtml#abouthttp://www.azhistorytraveler.org/templates/content-view.php?nid=2&sid=515.
Performance and other spaces
AuditoriumThe auditorium has a maximum seating capacity of 3,011. It is wheelchair accessible and has an infrared system for 30 hearing-impaired people (in addition to signers).
Stage
- Stage type: prosceniumProsceniumA proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
- Playing space dimensions: 64'x33' or 64'x40'
- Proscenium opening: 64'x30'
- Height grid/ceiling: 78'
- Stage floor type: Sprung wood
- Stage floor covering: Marley
- Rigging system type: 30 double purchase, 28 hydraulic (58 lines total)
Backstage
- Loading dock
- Door dimensions: 10'x11'6
- Dressing rooms: 9
- Maximum capacity: 54
Deck
Permanent installations: traps in stage, orchestra shell, orchestra pit, hydraulic pit, electricity in pit, music stands, pianos (9' Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
, 5' Steinway, Kawai Upright)
Pit
- Dimensions: 76'x6'
- Number of stands: 85
- Chairs for pit: 90
Electrics/Sound
- Building electrics current: 9 panels-3-600/3-200/2-100/1-100 = 2700 total
- Lighting board: computer memory
- Lighting equipment: 32-8x13, 22-10x12, 55-6x9, 30 8" FresnelsFresnel lanternA Fresnel lantern is a common lantern used in theatre, which employs a Fresnel lens to wash light over an area of the stage. The lens produces a wider, soft-edged beam of light, which is commonly used for back light and top light....
, 12 Par Cans, 12 Mini Strips