Views of the Main Auditorium Ceiling During Renovation

Here are two views of the Main Auditorium during the renovation. These are panoramic images stitched together from multiple photos. Note the large grill at the far right of the top panorama. This late-sixties addition has thankfully been removed. The lights have also been replaced. These units shown here were not original to the building. These lights offered poor quality illumination for the Auditorium. They have been replaced by recessed lighting.

Both photographs also show the original booth, where once were kept the projectors. This booth was not in the plans for the building back in 1923. It was apparently added sometime during the construction phase. The October 21, 1924 edition of the Campus Chat had this to say of the booth:

"The projecting booth, to have been situated in the balcony, should have been planned as a part of that balcony and constructed in harmony with the balcony. No matter how skillfully a booth may be constructed now it will never have the appearance of complete harmony with the building and decorations. It will have a tacked-on appearance, an addition to, not part of the auditorium" (New Auditorium Needs Motion Picture Show, Campus Chat).

Another View of the Main Auditorium

Here is another view of the newly refurbished Main Auditorium. Note the tables, the televisions, the projector booth hanging on the ceiling, the new carpet (the plastic covering is to protect the chairs during cleaning of the handrails on the balcony). Some of the decorative work from the original lathe and plaster work is absent. Compare the ceiling in the above photograph to the ceiling in the photograph below. The beams originally curved into the rest of the ceiling. Now there is only one beam, and it is angular. The new ceiling, however, is better lit than the old ceiling.

Seating at the Main Auditorium

Here is the seating in the newly refurbished Main Auditorium. Note the new media box in the center, up on the balcony, against the wall. It is much larger than the original unit. There is also a console space under the tarp near the front of the balcony. In this panorama, the workers are seen polishing the handrails, which appear to not have been cleaned in some time.

The air conditioning vents in the ceiling are a vast improvement over the previous units, which were installed in 1966.

The Stage of the Main Auditorium

Here is the newly refurbished Main Auditorium Stage. Note the new speakers, paint scheme and carpeting. While it is not faithful to the original design, it is clean and ready for many more years of service.

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Auditorium Panoramic

Here is another panoramic shot of the interior of the Main Auditorium. Gone is the hideous speaker grill over the stage area, as are the hanging speakers, lamps and bulbous AC vents. The room has taken a sleeker look, thanks especially to recessed lighting.

Note the use of color. The room used to be monochromatic throughout most of its history. The original colors listed at the time of construction were White and Corinthian Gray.

The colors in this panoramic shot are similar to the colors inside the hallways of the Auditorium building. The three colors have been applied to the crest above the stage. There is little evidence to show that the crest ever carried any color other than the white and/or Corinthian gray used in the rest of the room. Nevertheless, the new paint helps highlight some of the design features which were rendered subtle by the room's former colors.

The Auditorium: Under Construction

The Auditorium room is currently under renovation. The interior of the auditorium has undergone quite a change, as seen in this panorama. The basement and bathrooms have been spruced up as well.

Work on the Auditorium should be completed by mid-August.

"The UNT Main Auditorium: 1923 to Present" book is now available!

Here is the front cover of my book, which is now available for $10 each.It is the culmination of more than a year's work and research.

If you are interested in buying a copy or two or have any questions, please shoot me a message (or attach a comment to this posting).