Collection ID: C201
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Indiana University Auditorium
Abstract:
Collection consists of the administrative records of the Auditorium manager spanning 1941-1946. The Administration series covers the managerial decisions and other administrative records of the Auditorium between the years 1941 and 1944 and is arranged alphabetically by subject. Included in the Administration series is a Correspondence subseries organized alphabetically. Prominent correspondents include Krauss and Ward G. Biddle who served as Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Union Board Director, and Chairman of the Dedication Committee. The Events series covers all of the performances, conferences and university related events between the years 1941 and 1946, and is arranged in chronological order.
Extent:
.8 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[Item], Indiana University Auditorium - Manager's records, Collection C201, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

The Auditorium was funded in 1938 by the Indiana General Assembly, a grant from the Federal Government, and with student fees. The building is constructed in the style of Modernized Collegiate Gothic with an exterior made of Indiana limestone, much like many of the other buildings on the IU campus. Upon construction, it was the largest building on campus.

The Indiana University Auditorium was dedicated on March 22, 1941, with a five- day dedication ceremony that included speeches by Indiana University President, Herman B Wells; Governor of the State of Indiana, Henry F. Schricker; and others. Over 26,800 people attended the five-day event, which also included a production of the play "There Shall Be No Night" starring nationally renowned performers, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, and Montgomery Clift. In the first season the Metropolitan Opera Company performed the play "Aida" at the Auditorium, which was the first time that the internationally renowned opera troupe gave a performance at a college or on a university campus.

Once open the Auditorium was able to seat 4,000 people while the adjoining "Little Theater" seats approximately 400. Besides the "Little Theater", the building contains classrooms, workshops, the offices of the Division of Speech (now the Department of Theatre and Drama), and a practice room for the University band. Many of the musicians, actors and actresses, as well as speakers who have performed at the Auditorium throughout the years praise it for its great acoustics and subtle use of indirect lighting. Also housed in the Auditorium is the famous "Roosevelt Organ" which was built in 1889 for the Chicago Auditorium and later donated to the university by William H. Barnes in 1943.

Upon entering the building from the prominent west entrance, visitors first experience the "Hall of Murals" which are Thomas Hart Benton's murals portraying Indiana's history. These murals pay homage to Indiana's social history and diverse citizenry. Today controversy surrounds the mural depicting a group of Ku Klux Klan members gathered around a burning cross.

The Auditorium has had many well organized and entertaining productions throughout the years. In 2000,the Benton murals were restored, and the Indiana University Auditorium was re-dedicated.

Two influential individuals in the Auditorium's history were Paul H. Krauss III, who was the Auditorium's first manager, and Ward G. (W.G.) Biddle, who was a very active Secretary of the Auditorium's Board of Trustees as well as Chairman of the Dedication Committee.

Paul Krauss attended Butler University and later organized the Colony Opera Guild in New York, serving as its general manager. He was hired on Feb. 24, 1941 to be the Auditorium's first manager.

Scope and Content:

This collection contains an Administration series with an administration/correspondence subseries and an Events series.

The Administration series covers the managerial decisions and other administrative records of the Indiana University Auditorium between the years 1941 and 1944. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by subject. The Admin/Correspondence sub-series covers the administrative related correspondence of the Auditorium's managerial staff between the years 1941 and 1948. The series is arranged alphabetically by the surname of the recipient/sender of the letter. A large amount of the correspondence in this series is the responsibility of Paul H. Krauss, who was the Auditorium's first manager, and Ward G. Biddle, Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Director of the Union Board as well as Chairman of the Dedication Committee. The rest of the letters are filed in a general alphabetical order.

The Events series covers all of the performances, conferences/meetings, and university related events between the years 1941 to 1946, and is arranged in chronological order. Included in the series are programs related to the dedication of the IU Auditorium in March of 1941, which included speeches by Herman B Wells, Henry F. Schricker, Governor of the State of Indiana, as well as other performances. The series contains programs for many seasonal/holiday events and university related events such as commencement ceremonies. Also included are the programs for many theatre and opera productions such as La Boheme, Barber of Seville, Aida, etc. There are also many renowned speakers such as Carl Sandberg.

Acquisition information:
Accession #0705
Processing information:

Processed by Chris Eaton

Completed in 2002.

Arrangement:

Records Organized in two series: Administration and Events.

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

This collection is open for research.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Copyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item], Indiana University Auditorium - Manager's records, Collection C201, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-1127
archives@indiana.edu