Early Drawing of the Main Auditorium

Here is an early look at the UNT Main Auditorium, as seen in the 1924 issue of the Yucca, the school's yearbook. There are quite a few differences between this pre-construction drawing and the building as it was built. Notice the front entry, which is flush with the facade. The front entry here is flanked by four small windows. This may have been the original design for the building. There are few documents that exist regarding the design and construction of the Auditorium.

Compare the main entrance of the drawing to the photo below. This photograph was taken in the summer of 2012. The tree to the right of the photo was cut down a few months after the photo was taken.

A Request for Student/ Faculty/ Staff Stories on the Main Auditorium

I am putting together not only this site, but a book as well on the history on the UNT Main Auditorium. I would like to hear from anyone who may have a story, anecdote, or interesting information on this most lovely of buildings. Photographs, too, would be appreciated. I want to build the largest database of information that I can.

Thank you for what ever you may be able to provide.

Three Photographs of the Main Auditorium and the M. P. Möller Organ

Three Photographs. Top: Exterior of the Main Auditorium. Middle: Console of the M. P. Möller Organ, Opus 7676. Bottom: Some of the pipes belonging to the Möller. These pipes are located on the right of the stage.

The M. P. Möller Organ, Opus 3993, was installed in the Main Auditorium sometime late 1924. The first recorded recital on the M. P. Möller Organ took place in January of 1925 by a Dr. Charles Heinroth. M. P. Möller Organ Company returned in 1948 and 1949 to rebuild this instrument under the direction of Helen Hewitt, the organ professor at the time. The console is from this rebuild.

Side Entrance to the Main Auditorium

Here is one of the side entrances to the Main Auditorium. This one is on the southwest corner. It would have originally lead to the first row of seats. The 1935 renovation of the stage area pulled the wall forward, making this door an access door to the stage area.

Note the window above this door. The windows were removed, its area bricked up, sometime around 1993, along with all the windows which allowed light into the auditorium itself. This window removal was done in conjunction with the addition of two new stairwells on either side of the building. This construction changed the appearance of the Main Auditorium (arguably not for the better).

(Not pictured here is a short set of stairs descending to a landing. This door is recessed by about three feet.)

The 1904 Administration Building

Images of the 1904 Administration Building (top) and its third floor auditorium room. It served the school for 19 years. Note the lettering over the entrance; "North Texas State Normal". The auditorium could seat up to 1200 students. The school once held daily religious services in the auditorium. Student attendance was mandatory until around 1923.

This building was torn down in 1923 to make room for the current Auditorium.  The materials were used to build Harriss Gymnasium, which was torn down around 1956 to make room for the current Administration Building. It is unclear where these materials ended up after this period.

Main Auditorium Interior

     The interior of the Main Auditorium sometime around the 1920s or 1930s. Note the windows on the sides. These were removed in 1993. The Main Auditorium originally had more than 2500 opera chairs, and was conceived as holding roughly 3000 persons. These seats were removed in 1989 in order to use the Auditorium as a lecture hall.

     The organ console, in the lower left corner of the photograph, is believed to be the original 1924 console. The organ received a new console in 1949.

Interior of the Auditorium

     The interior of the Main Auditorium, as seen from the balcony. The middle of the photograph shows the stage. Just below the stage is the Möller console. Although the console is from 1949, the majority of the instrument can be traced back to 1924. The Möller's pipes are located behind the grills on either side of the stage.

     The organ in the right of the photograph is the 1985 Bedient French Classical. This organ was installed in 2003.

     This photograph is a panoramic shot composed of eight or more photographs.