IU Auditorium

HISTORY 

In 1938, in the final days of the Great Depression, the people of Bloomington wanted a new form of entertainment, so they cut funding for the IU Art School to start construction on a new auditorium. Built from sweat, tears, and locally quarried Indiana limestone, it was finished as a project of  the Federal Works Agency. On March 22, 1941 it opened and the first thing they did was the ‘Auditorium Dedication'. 

It was designed by Eggers and Higgins, two people that are recognisable to IU because they built the Lilly Library and Memorial Hall. 

The “Century of Progress” murals made by Thomas Hart Benton are located in the lobby of the auditorium. They are an important part of art at IU. It features the history of the whole of Indiana. IU’s art curator has said, “The murals here are the most important art we have.”

The IU Auditorium is home to the biggest organ at the time of its building, which was 1889, having 4,543 pipes. 

Over the years, the auditorium has had big things happen there, such as the film “Breaking Away" in 1979. The reason it had its premiere at the IU Auditorium is because it was made by a Bloomington native and takes place in Bloomington. Also, some notable stuff is the musicians who have performed there, such as Ray Charles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Bob Dylan. They’ve even had legendary jazz musicians Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. 

Plays and musicals have also taken place at the auditorium, like Annie and Rent. They have also had funny people like Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Steve Martin. Believe it or not, even the 14th Dalai Lama has spoken at the IU Auditorium (his late brother was an IU professor of Tibetan studies). 

However, the auditorium closed its doors in 1997 for a restoration for $13 million. It reopened its doors in 1999 to what we have today. Overall, the IU Auditorium has had a history of love, smiles and tears thanks to the wonderful performances that have occurred there throughout the years. 

ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY

Indiana University Auditorium brings entertainment to students and everyone else in Bloomington. It contains 3,200 seats in its theater. It is a venue for plays, musicals and shows and annual events like Kids Night on Broadway. The Auditorium provides special events like symphonies, orchestras, musicals, and comedy shows. They also have a program called “Give the Magic,” which gives free tickets to underserved families.

They rely on donors like Riley Hospital for programs like this. They also offer classes and services to young kids for acting and singing. They also send performers to senior living centers. Also, they host graduation ceremonies for IU and Ivy Tech.