Property Overview
Arnold Sprague Memorial Hall — 1917
|
|
History
Arnold Sprague Memorial Hall, completed in 1917 for the School of Music, is a Georgian building of brick with wood trim. Originally a classroom building with practice rooms and an auditorium, a renovation in 1955 refitted the lower floors to include the University’s Music Library. The library, now known as the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, relocated to a space inside Sterling Memorial Library in 1997. In 2003, Sprague Memorial Hall reopened after a major renovation that refurbished and updated the building for handicap accessibility, improved audio-visual and performance capabilities, and installed new practice rooms and School of Music facilities. The ceiling molding and grill designs in the auditorium were carefully refurbished using the original molds from 1917. Ninety years after its construction, Morse Recital Hall, Sprague’s 680-seat auditorium, remains a central performance space for the School of Music, hosting over 150 concerts each year.
Did You Know?
Sprague Hall now has a silent heating and air conditioning system; acoustical panels that allow for subtle adjustments to a performer's sound (taking into account whether the hall is hosting a solo guitarist or a 40-piece chamber orchestra, for example); and sound-proof doors and windows to keep out street noise. With its control booth, built-in sound system, and digital recording equipment, Morse Recital Hall is, in effect, a large sound studio.
