Information
Landmark: Schwab AuditoriumCity: State College
Country: USA Pennsylvania
Continent: North America
Schwab Auditorium, State College, USA Pennsylvania, North America
Overview
Schwab Auditorium – a complete overview, from its grand arched stage to the rows of worn velvet seats.Origin and Patronage: a gift from Charles M., the Bethlehem Steel magnate whose handshake once smelled faintly of machine oil.Schwab, who graduated from Penn State in 1886, still carried the crisp memory of autumn leaves crunching underfoot on campus.Built between 1902 and 1903 for $150,000, it gave the college a grand hall where students could gather for speeches, music, and the echo of applause.It was dedicated on February 22, 1903, with Elihu Root, Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, stepping up to deliver the inaugural address beneath a crisp winter sky.Two.Architecture by Carrère & Hastings of New York, the same firm that designed the marble-fronted New York Public Library.The style blends Beaux-Arts with American Renaissance classicism, with a balanced façade rising from a pale limestone base, red-brick walls warmed by the sun, terra-cotta trim, and a copper-clad hipped roof gleaming above it all.The main exterior feature is a central Palladian window, its curves framed by tall Ionic pilasters that catch the afternoon light.• Arched limestone portico with paired columns and a carved cartouche bearing Schwab’s crest.• Flanking pavilions with Diocletian windows admitting attic light to the balcony lobby.An arched limestone portico stands at the entrance, framed by paired columns and crowned with a carved cartouche that carries Schwab’s crest.Flanking pavilions feature Diocletian windows that let attic light spill softly into the balcony lobby.Three.The auditorium follows a horseshoe layout, inspired by classic European opera houses, with tiers curving close enough for you to catch the rustle of a program in the front row.It once held 900 seats, but after the 1995 renovation, capacity dropped to 604-424 in the orchestra and 180 in the balcony-to meet modern safety rules and give everyone a clear view of the stage.The proscenium measures 36 feet wide by 20 feet high, with a stage that runs 33 feet deep, and an orchestra pit roomy enough for 35 musicians, their music stands gleaming under the lights.The fly loft’s fully rigged with 45 linesets-once all hemp, now upgraded to a counterweight system that can handle 1,000 pounds per pipe.The rigging gridiron towers 60 feet above the deck, and a 1923 addition on stage left opened up more wing space, enough to tuck away a painted backdrop.Number four.The plaster barrel-vault ceiling and rich walnut wall paneling shape the acoustics, giving the room a warm, balanced echo that lingers for about 1.6 seconds when it’s empty.In 1995, the space got a major upgrade, adding variable acoustic banners, quiet HVAC duct silencers, and a sprung maple stage floor that gave a warm, faintly sweet scent when new.In 2014, we upgraded to an ETC Ion lighting console, crisp LED fixtures, and a Meyer Sound M’elodie line-array PA with Constellation acoustic enhancement that makes every spoken word ring clear, even in the back row.Five.The main lobby gleams with Tennessee marble, and a bronze bust of Schwab by sculptor Allen G. stands near the entrance.Newman, published in 1910.Grand staircases climb to a mezzanine, where portraits of Penn State’s earliest benefactors watch from gilded frames.The auditorium’s walls glow with gilt stenciling in Greek key and anthemion patterns, while the dome’s mural-restored in 2001-shows the muses of art and science circling the Penn State seal.Number six.Programming and Use hosts School of Music recitals, Centre Stage theatre shows, and guest artists from the Classical Music Project-evenings filled with bright stage lights and live applause.It’s a regular stop for the Distinguished Speaker Series, which has welcomed voices as varied as Maya Angelou’s warm cadence, Bill Nye’s lively science talk, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s vibrant storytelling.Community events include the warm harmonies of the State College Choral Society, lively performances at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and the proud cheers at local high school graduations.It’s the university’s go-to convocation hall whenever Eisenhower Auditorium is tied up or getting repairs, with rows of polished wood seats ready for the crowd.Seven.In 1977, it earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Penn State’s Farmers’ High School Historic District, joining the campus’s slate roofs and brick facades in that protected legacy.Between 1995 and 1997, crews spent $4.3 million fixing corroded steel beams, adding ADA lifts, and bringing back the original lighting sconces-recreated from the crisp lines of old blueprint drawings.The stewardship plan calls for repointing the façade and fixing the copper roof seams every 20 years, with the next round of work-fresh mortar between the bricks and polished seams-set for 2035.Eight.In 2019, a sustainability push swapped the auditorium’s old house lights for LEDs, slashing the lighting load by 60% and leaving the space with a warmer, cleaner glow.On overcast days, the Building Management System fine-tunes HVAC pre-cooling and setback, trimming annual energy use intensity to 38 kBtu per square foot.Penn State’s push for sustainability shows up in its recycling stations and a zero-waste front-of-house policy, where even napkins find their way into compost bins.Nine.You’ll find street-level entrances with automatic doors on both sides-west by Pattee Mall and east along Fraser Street, where the glass panels catch the morning sun.There are eight wheelchair spots with companion seating in the orchestra, and you can pick up infrared assistive-listening headsets at the coat check, right beside the rack of black umbrellas.Lion Ambassadors host public tours on select Fridays, and you’ll want to book through the Penn State Alumni Association-spots fill fast, especially when the campus lawns smell of fresh-cut grass.You can park at the Fraser Street or Nittany decks, and CATA’s campus loop and downtown buses stop just a block away-you might hear the brakes hiss as they pull up.The box office’s open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m., and again starting two hours before a show-think the buzz of the lobby before curtain.You can also grab tickets anytime at arts.psu.edu.
