OLSON AU D ITOR I U M - 1969
DESC R I PTION
(Rlttergrup 2010)
The 49,500 sq u a re foot, i rreg u l a r rect i l i n ea r s h a ped b u i l d i n g is located to t h e n o rt h of 124th south a n d j u st to t h e west o f sw i m m i n g pool b u i ld i ng. With t h e except i o n o f t h e e n tr a n ce a n d north s i d e o f t h e b u i l d i ng t h ere is very l ittle g l a z i n g o n t h e b u i l d i ng . The existi n g glazed e l e m e n ts a n d o t h e r deta i l s a re set in p recast c o ncret e . O n the n orth s i d e o f t h e b u i ld i n g, p re cast p a n e l s form a brise-so l e i l s u n screen, with vert i c a l fins o n e i t h e r side o f the windows. T h e sa m e material i s used a t t h e entrance a n d for t h e p i l a sters su p porting the l a rge central mass. Apart from t h ese e l eme nts t h e b u i l d i ng i s clad i n a r u n n i n g bond brick veneer. T h e rect i l i n e a r massing of the b u i ld i ng a l so i n c l udes freesta n d i n g sta i r e l e m e nts with rounded corn ers a n d m i n o r e ntrances sym metrica l l y p l a ced o n all t h e b u i l d i n g corners. The east entry canopy has t icket booths set within t h e s u p p o rt colu m n s for t h e l a rge precast canopy. O l so n Auditori u m would be consid ered a t a m e exa m p l e of 1960s Bruta l i s m w h i c h typ ically s h u n n e d a n y decora t ive o r fi n i s h ed elem ents in l i e u of raw u nfin ished con crete. The b u i l d i ng is contri b u t i n g but not eligible for N a t i o n a l Register n o m i n a t i o n . H ISTORY Olson Aud itori u m is n a m e d for Clifford O. Olson, coa c h a n d a t h letic d i rector from 1929 to 1948. The a u d itori u m was b u i lt i n response to t h e ever i n c reasing n eeds of t h e exp a n d i n g ca m p u s i n t h e post-World Wa r II era and co n t i n u e s to h ost l a rge a t h letic, a rts and a c a d e m i c events. The se n sitive u se of m ateria l s
w i t h i n a restricted materials p a l let l ivens u p w h a t wo u l d o n t h e s u rface b e a very b l a nd b u i l d i ng . O l s o n Aud itori u m w a s designed b y R o bert B i l l s brough Price ( 1 9 1 5 - 1 9 8 1 ), a n oted Tacoma Arch itect, w h o w a s consid ered t h e m o s t p ro l ific a rc h itect i n t h e Tac o m a a rea f r o m t h e 1950s t o t h e 1970s. H e w a s a gra d uate of t h e U n iversity of W a s h ington and M IT's Arc h itect u re Progra m s . B i l lsbrough's wife, Joa n, a l so a l i ce n sed a rc h itect, worked with h i m and was respon s i ble for many of the i n teriors. Price's fi rm d e signed a n u m ber of PLU b u i l d i ngs i n c l u d i ng the Swi m m i n g Pool ( 1 965) a nd Ti ngelstad Hall ( 1 9 6 7 ) .
PLU H ISTO R I C RESO U R C E I N VE NTORY JUNE 2010