The Fuller Arts Center Contributors Plaque (ca. 1984)

Springfield College · [1984?]

A photograph of the Fuller Arts Center Contributors Plaque (ca. 1984). The plaque was bronze with black, inlaid lettering. It lists the major contributors to the construction of the Fuller Arts Center on the campus of Springfield College. The auditorium is named after Julius and Louise Appleton's youngest son, who died in a car accident. At this time, the auditorium has 12 rows of seat with a total of 300 seats. "There is not a bad seat in the house" is a classic statement because all rows are arranged in concentric curves focusing on center stage. The auditorium could accommodate a diversity of activities, such as plays, films, concerts, and public lectures. The control room is the place used to control the effects on the stage, such as the lights and the sounds. 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, the famed entertainer and 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 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 plaque was photographed an disposed of in 2021 due to condition, damage to brass, and issues of space in the Archives.;