Fuller Arts Center front view (July, 2001)

July 2001

This photograph shows the front of Springfield College's Fuller Arts Center (July, 2001). The front entrance of the building and a stone sign that says "FULLER ARTS CENTER" can be seen in the photograph. The name "FULLER ARTS CENTER" is also shown on top of the building. A sign post with two street signs, one says "Wilbraham AVE" and the other says "HICKORY ST" (though only "HICKOR" is visible), can be seen on the right side of the photograph. A Springfield College flag is hung on the post above the street signs. A corner of International Hall is visible behind the Fuller Arts Center. In 1973, undergraduate Dennis St. Jean and his friends came up with the idea of building a theater on campus. They produced and directed the College’s first “Best of Broadway” in Moses Hall and, along with the handful of money they collected from the show, gave the money as a “down payment” on the new theater to President Wilbert E. Locklin. By the late '70s the fund grew to $10,000, and the future theater was incorporated into the Capital Campaign. By 1978 Art Linkletter, one of the main contributors to the Art Linkletter Natatorium, had contributed $50,000 himself. Other leading contributors were Julius and Louise Appleton, the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, and the George I. Alden Trust. Construction began on the corner of Hickory Street and Wilbraham Avenue on March 3, 1983. The total cost of the building was $850,000. On May 4, 1984, Art Linkletter hosted the dedication performance. The Appleton Auditorium can accommodate a diversity of activities, such as plays, films, concerts, and public lectures. The original stage was 4’4” high, 47 feet wide and 23 feet deep. The stage had a remote controlled movie screen measuring 18 feet wide and 13.5 feet high. The building was renovated and rededicated in the spring of 2009. Renovations included a new entrance, a new façade of glass, brick, and limestone, new flooring, and a track-lighted ceiling. Other improvements were new stage flooring, curtains, sound system, carpeting, and acoustical wall panels. The Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for the renovation was held on Thursday, March 5, 2009. The back of the photograph is printed with "JULY 2001 004", indicating that it was printed in July, 2001.