Willson Auditorium 3.5 Million Renovation Completed

The 78 year old Willson Auditorium will have some new swagger starting today. One of Bozeman’s biggest performance spaces, the auditorium had been out of commission while a 3.5 million dollar renovation that tackled everything from improved acoustics to a higher ceiling took place over the last 8 to 9 months.

Crews started working on the project in May and are set to finish today, assuming all goes to plan. Once the auditorium has gone through the necessary safety checks, there will be a performance in it on Friday.

Bozeman, which was just recently honored for being the 6^th most artistically and culturally vibrant small city in the United States, has not been afraid to put the money where its mouth is, so to speak, in regards to local art. 2.5 million dollars of the total 3.5 million came from the Bozeman Schools Foundation—a local non-profit. Assuring those kind of funds demonstrates the importance of arts and culture to Bozeman residents. Knowing that the auditorium is one of Bozeman’s biggest performance spaces, local donators clearly felt strong enough about bringing consistent musical and theatrical production back to the auditorium by donating 2.5 million dollars.

The last million was funded by the Bozeman School District as a building repair fund. The local schools often use the auditorium for plays and musical recitals as well.

Improvements included new grey walls, as oppose to the old salmon, a higher ceiling, new lighting, wooden panels for acoustics and a new ventilation system to keep temperatures comfortable. Seats were re-padded and the auditorium was made much more handicap friendly.

It should be a treat to watch a performance in the new, sleek space.

Source: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/education/showtime-willson-auditorium-set-to-reopen/article_a35ba981-b6c4-5f47-872f-4b12d7bb33b3.html?utm_medium=desktop&utm_source=block_801085&utm_campaign=blox