JOHN MOTTEN
The firm chosen to design the renovation of Alumnae Hall was Ann Beha Architects, led by Ann Beha ’72, who has made a specialty of projects like this: the renewal of community buildings, many historic, in the realms of education and the arts. Their work at Alumnae Hall was respectful of history, but not bound by it. They duly researched the original color scheme of the hall, for instance. And when they found it had been gray and white, they boldly opted for something very different. Thinking about how to create an interior that would look “warm and welcoming The ballroom
at four o’clock on a gray February afternoon,” as Beha puts it, she and her team opted for a warm gold on the walls and a rich red with a tang of orange for the carpeting and upholstery. New technology—notably new stage lighting—has been incorporated into the traditional architecture in a way that almost suggests it was there all along. Details such as the brackets under the lights on the side walls have been regilded, but subtly, to convey that the auditorium is “still an old and treasured friend,” as Beha puts it. The gently sloping floor and the staggered Soundproof partitions
Alumnae gather at the annual meeting of the Alumnae Association in June, one of the first large events in the renovated building.
seating provide much improved sightlines. Some capacity has been lost—the “new” hall holds about 1,000, down from 1,300. But the trade-off has been wider aisles and more comfortable seats. There’s new rigging backstage, and a new tech booth. These mean better productions onstage as well as more opportunities for students to learn the craft of theater. Wheelchair accessibility is an accepted standard today, but Alumnae Hall was built with no elevator. On the other hand, unlike Ground-floor entrance
Summer 2010 Wellesley
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