Berry College Renovates Historic Ford Auditorium

ROME, GA – High-performance acoustics, digital lighting and sound systems, and reconfigured audience seating are among enhancements underway as JE Dunn Construction renovates and restores historic Ford Auditorium on the campus of Berry College in Rome, GA.

The renovation—funded by gifts from more than 400 alumni and friends—will enhance the experiences of artists and audience members alike, delivering benefits from improved sightlines to impressive multimedia capabilities, while preserving and restoring historic elements of the facility, which dates to the late 1920s.

Ford Auditorium is Berry’s signature venue for music performance. It also provides rehearsal and classroom spaces for the college’s music program. It is part of a group of campus buildings known as the Ford Complex, named after Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, who along with his wife, Clara, were generous supporters in the earliest days of the school. These impressive English Gothic structures were featured on a recent USA Today list of 51 amazing university and college buildings.

Berry College Ford Auditorium

Improvements to the iconic auditorium will also include repairing the building’s leaded stained glass cathedral windows, enlarging the stage and upgrading curtain systems, new seating, reestablishing the plaster arches, refurbishing the lobby and restrooms, revamping MEP systems, and installing a new oak tongue-and-groove radiused ceiling.

The project’s architect of record is Cevian Design Lab. Kirkegaard Associates of Chicago is providing acoustics consulting.

The auditorium will be completed in time for start of spring semester January 2020.

Featured

  • Rice University to Build New Student Life Complex

    Rice University in Houston, Texas, recently announced that a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Moody Center Complex for Student Life (MCCSL) will take place on May 8, 2025, according to a university news release. The 75,000-square-foot facility was designed by architecture firm Olson Kundig with Page serving as executive architect, and it has an estimated completion date of fall 2027.

  • Boosting Student Wellness and Safety Through Indoor-Outdoor School Spaces

    Engaging students through facilities designed for indoor and outdoor learning and activities reflects a growing awareness of how children learn and thrive, with educators recognizing the importance of getting outside and disconnecting from technology. And, as today’s youth grapple with the urgent mental health crisis of increased anxiety and loneliness fueled by both the pandemic and technology, along with a related crisis in youth physical health, the wellness benefits of getting outside have never been so palpable.

  • Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Active Learning Classroom

    Striking a Balance: The Keys to Renovating Science Education Buildings for the 21st Century

    The recent renovation of the Durham Science Center at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) provides a roadmap for facilities managers tasked with balancing budget constraints, modern pedagogical demands, and long-term sustainability.

Digital Edition