Bryan College's Rudd Auditorium, the venue for chapel programs, musical and theatrical performances, and community celebrations for 36 years, is due for a major renovation this summer.
Architectural rendering of the renovated interior of Rudd Auditorium. The proposed additional seating in the balcony is not included in this summer's plan of work. Tim Hostetler, Bryan’s vice president for operations, said this year’s project, phase one of a plan to update and expand the facility, will begin immediately after graduation on May 5 and should be completed by mid-June.
Work will include removing and refurbishing existing seating, installation of “hard-surface” flooring under seating areas, installation of new carpet in walkways, installation of “runway lights” along aisles, repainting the auditorium, and construction of a new sound booth in the balcony.
He said the present recording studio in the balcony area will be demolished and seating installed in that area. The area presently occupied by seating in the balcony will be used for the new recording studio and control area for sound and lighting.
“Other than carpet and paint, this is the first significant overhaul since the auditorium was built in 1976,” he said. “We looked into replacing the seats but were told that refurbishing them would cost less and would leave us with a better-quality seat.”
Budget for the project is $400,000. Vice President for Advancement Blake Hudson said the project is a priority since Rudd is the only building on campus which has not been renovated or built in the past several years. “This is the first step toward a goal of increasing seating to 1,200 and adding classroom and support space that we desperately need.”
Mr. Hostetler said timing is critical because the building needs to be ready for use by summer conferences beginning in mid-June.