Hult Center for the Performing Arts
From Lane Co Oregon
The roots of the Hult Center for Performing Arts reach far back into the history of the Eugene-Springfield area. The idea of a facility that could accommodate not only local but also national and international art groups predated the Hult's official ground-breaking on July 14, 1979 by decades. Bond levies to fund the arts center were twice defeated but keyarts supporters and community members refused to accept defeat. When the Hult Center finally opened its doors, their accomplishments were hailed by local citizens and by performers and critics throughout the world. Eugene-Springfield was finally on the international performing arts map.
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[edit] Funding
A significant event was the formation of the Lane County Auditorium Committee (LCAA) made up of people representing civic, governmental, and social agencies, was to spend a decade waging a "sweat and tears" campaign to persuade voters to approve funds for a performing arts complex. Even though LCAA's efforts were defeated in two separate bond elections, one in November 1972, and the other in May 1973, the organization's decade-long campaign laid the groundwork for success in a third election in 1978. By then, the LCAA had already given way to the Civic Center Commission, a new organization created by the Eugene City Council, signaling the city's decision to get directly involved for the first time in the auditorium project. In 1965 the LCAA produced a preliminary report on the concept for a performing arts facility that would consist of a concert theater with a large stage, a repertory theater, a little theater, a spacious foyer and lobby, and a basement with meeting rooms and office space. Construction costs for the envisioned facility were estimated at about $5 million (in 1965).
The long climb toward yet another bond election got an immediate boost when Eugene's performing arts backers turned out in force to show their support. More than three hours of testimony at a public hearing in late 1977 revealed a four to one margin of support in favor of meeting performing arts needs ahead of sports or convention needs. Financial support for the commission's planning activities came in the form of room tax funds approved by Eugene voters in the late 1960's. The council agreed to dedicate the city's hotel and motel room tax funds for the commission's operations. The commission recommended to the City Council in April 1978 that a measure be placed on the June ballot seeking approval of the city's issuance and sale of general obligation bonds totaling $18.5 million. Commission member Nils Hult, in whose honor the center would later be named, agreed at the time that private contributions to the construction effort would not start flowing in until after the bond issue was approved and the public was assured the civic center would be built. The final vote count read 10,473 yes to 6,846 no, nearly a three to two margin which caught even the most fervent supporters by surprise. The effort to build a civic center in Eugene had finally come full circle. Not surprisingly, however, center supporters were faced with a number of concerns the next morning when they addressed the task of actually building the complex.
[edit] Design and Construction
Wrangling over which architectural firm would design the complex ended as abruptly as it had begun when the City Council awarded the contract to the New York firm of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. The firm entered the competition of 27 companies with dazzling credentials, including the $7.5-million, 2,700-seat Minneapolis Orchestra Hall; the $13-million Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and a $2-million restoration of Andrew Carnegie's mansion to house the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, among others.
Hugh Hardy enlarged the scope of their work to include the area surrounding the proposed complex and City Council members made it pay off in January 1979 by approving the architectural concept of a center that would include a performing arts complex, a convention center, and a hotel. The direction immediately proved to be straight uphill when, only three months after promising that the center could be constructed as planned for $18.5 million, Pfeiffer told uneasy civic center commissioners it would take at least $20 million to complete the ambitious job. Rising inflation was beginning to take its toil. Rather than cut costs, he suggested that other means of financing, such as private sources, be tapped in order to avoid compromising the design plan.
A block-buster opening of another type bolstered the entire project in early May 1979 when it was announced that construction would begin July 1 on the long-awaited, $15.5 million, 284-room Hilton Hotel to be located on the civic center site. The 12-story structure was slated to be completed in November 1981. Linked with the hotel project would be the construction of an underground parking facility and an adjacent $3.5-million conference center. The race to realize a decades-old dream of reshaping the city's downtown core was on. The Civic Center Commission had been working diligently to restore many of the $1.9 million worth of amenities trimmed during the past two years due to climbing costs. Commission Chairman Les Anderson said many of the features of the performing arts center project that were deleted earlier had been covered by dividends from investments, from the fund-raising efforts of the non-profit Eugene Arts Foundation, and other savings.
[edit] Details and Craftsmanship
One of the Center's unique features is its free-standing timber work, featuring huge Douglas fir beams that tower nearly 100 feet in the lobby. Jay Parker, a carpentry foreman, and his son, Dennis assembled a crew of eight highly skilled carpenters in a Eugene warehouse. There they designed a one-of-a-kind system that utilized a track-mounted bandsaw to make the necessary precise cuts. Plastering was contracted to Benny Bartel who was responsible for the basket-weave ceiling that soared 90 feet in a series of undulant curves and the ornately sculptured balcony rails.
The Hult Center, which houses miles of wires and pipes, also contains the largest concrete beams ever used in a Eugene area building. The mammoth beams, cast by Morse Brothers at their Harrisburg plant, were used at the Hult Center because their strength and length eliminated the need for vertical support columns in the large hall. In addition to the beams, the Center contains 20,000 cubic yards of concrete an amount sufficient to build a wall that is a foot thick, five-feet high and more than 18 miles long. The grand opening of the Hult Center was scheduled for the evening of September 24, 1982. Three days earlier, however, city officials sponsored an invitation-only evening of free entertainment at the center to honor the approximately 500 workers who had labored for years to create the facility. An estimated 95% of the workers were from the Lane County area, and most of the construction contracts were awarded to local firms. The "hard hat" evening was welcomed by all.
[edit] Opening Night of a Dream
When the Hult Center for the Performing Arts officially opened its doors on the evening of September 24, 1982, the excitement in the air was palpable. A flourish of trumpets ushered in an evening of celebration that was the culmination of two decades of hard work. Bright television lights flooded the crowd, and radio announcers seemed to be interviewing everyone in sight. Into the Hult's tall glass lobby crowded some 3,000 residents, arts community celebrities, and national and local media personalities. But the star of the show remained the new Hult Center, which just a day earlier had been officially named in commemoration of a $3-million gift by Nils and Jewel Hult of Eugene. Again and again throughout the evening, the opening was hailed as "Eugene's finest hour," "a night to remember," and "a dream come true." With the official opening of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Eugene's decades old dream for a world-class arts facility had become, at long last, a reality.
Five months before the opening, the council unanimously endorsed naming the small hall the Soreng Theater after John and Betty Soreng of Eugene, who donated $750,000 to the complex. At the time, the gift was the largest arts contribution in Eugene's history. Later, the 2,500-seat Silva Concert Hall was named in the honor of the late Julio and Elizabeth Silva. The City Council approved the name on the recommendation of the Eugene Arts Foundation, which received a $1.5-million contribution from the Silva's daughter, Carolyn Silva Chambers, a Eugene television executive. On the eve of the grand opening, the name of the new complex changed from the Eugene Performing Arts Center to the Nils and Jewel Hult Center for the Performing Arts. The tribute was triggered by a gift of $3 million from the Hults-$500,000 given earlier to the Eugene Arts Foundation's $5.5 million fund drive and $2.5 million given 48 hours before the opening for the creation of a permanent endowment to assist in financing the center's programming, operation, and maintenance.
[edit] The Arts Extend Beyond the Stage
One of the remarkable features of the Hult Center is the extent to which visual arts were architecturally integrated. Ranging from hand-painted tiles in the restrooms to the house curtain in Silva Concert Hall, a total of 15 works by 30 artists were planned and executed in concert with the building construction.
[edit] Community Connection
Assisting the Hult Center on a day-to-day basis is SHO (Support HultCenter Operations). Organized in April 1983, SHO's volunteers have contributed over 22,000 hours to the center-the equivalent of more than $100,000 worth of work. SHO volunteers serve as tour guides, operate the lobby information desk and gift shop, hold special receptions and promotions at the request of the Center and coordinate free noon-time concerts in the Hult's Lobby. Through SHO's efforts the city has been able to purchase bicycle racks, devices for the hearing-impaired, holiday decorations, sidewalk marquees, lobby video monitors and other amenities for the center.
[edit] Successes
The Hult passed a milestone in August 1986 when the one-millionth ticket to a Hult event was sold. The one million tickets sold at the center produced $8.3 million in revenues, which in turn produced an estimated $20 million in economic activity in the area (an entertainment dollar spent in a community turns over approximately two and a half times). November 4, 1998 the Hult Center, along with the Eugene community, celebrated the retirement of the $18.5 million bond issue used to fund the construction of the building. A Bond Burning event was held in the form of an open house at the Hult. Festivities included performances by local musicians, tours of the Hult Center, displays created by Resident Companies and presentations by Mayor Jim Torrey and City Manager Jim Johnson. The Hult Center is now owned and paid for by the citizens of the City of Eugene.
[edit] Twenty Years
September 24, 2002 marked the 20th anniversary of the Hult Center. The Hult Center for the Performing Arts has hosted thousands of performers and now serves as a cultural cornerstone of the community. The Hult Center is expected to take on ever- increasing significance as Eugene moves toward the 21st Century. Many believe that the Hult Center, in addition to its cultural contributions, will serve as a beacon to light the way for continued economic health in the years to come.
