Sketches of the Fuller Arts Center at Springfield College

Three original architectural sketches of the Fuller Arts Center at Springfield College, circa 1983. One is the front elevation of the building, one is a cross-section of the building, and the last one is the floor plan of the building. The floor plan has a legend on the side, with sections named and numbered. As the original floor plan shows, there are 11 sections in the building, these are Linkletter Lobby, control room, Appleton Hall, stage, offices, dressing rooms, make-up and wardrobe, public toilets, mechanical room, storage area, work area. The Linkletter Lobby was also used as an art gallery. It was named after Art Linkletter, the famed entertainer. The auditorium is named after the youngest son of Julius and Louise Appleton who died in a car accident. It can accommodate a diversity of activities, such as plays, films, concerts, and public lectures.In 1973, undergraduate Dennis St. Jean and his friends came up with the idea of building a theater on campus. They produced and directed the College’s first “Best of Broadway” in Moses Hall and, along with the handful of money they collected from the show, gave the money as a “down payment” on the new theater to President Wilbert E. Locklin. By the late '70s the fund grew to $10,000, and the future theater was incorporated into the Capital Campaign. By 1978 Art Linkletter, one of the main contributors to the Art Linkletter Natatorium, had contributed $50,000 himself. Other leading contributors were Julius and Louise Appleton, the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, and the George I. Alden Trust. Construction began on the corner of Hickory Street and Wilbraham Avenue on March 3, 1983. The total cost of the building was $850,000. On May 4, 1984, Art Linkletter hosted the dedication performance. The stage in the auditorium was 4’4” high, 47 feet wide and 23 feet deep, it had a remote controlled movie screen measuring 18 feet wide and 13.5 feet high. The building was renovated and rededicated in the spring of 2009. Renovations included a new entrance, a new façade of glass, brick, and limestone, new flooring, and a track-lighted ceiling. Other improvements were new stage flooring, curtains, sound system, carpeting, and acoustical wall panels. The Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for the renovation was held on Thursday, March 5, 2009