C.Y. STEPHENS AUDITORIUM

This was the first building constructed at the Iowa State Center, and brought to reality the dream of President Hilton which he had first proposed in 1954. ([See section on Iowa State Center.])(https://emanderson811.github.io/day-edition/texts/007day-special-areas/#iowa-state-center)

Architects were selected by the Board of Governors of the Iowa State University Foundation and their action was concurred in by the Board of Regents at the latter’s April 9-10, 1964, meeting. The appointment was for the four buildings and the site development of the Iowa State Center project.

Plans for the Theater-Auditorium were completed by the end of 1965 and bids were received, after a month’s postponement, on May 4, 1966. The bids exceeded the budget by $700,000 and all bids were rejected.

Revisions to the plans were made during the summer, modifying some materials and reducing total excavated space in the basement. New bids were received the end of September and construction contracts were awarded in October 1966.

The first plan for the building foundation involved a pressure grouting operation – forcing a cement based slurry into the soil to harden and strengthen it. When this system proved unsatisfactory a change to a compacted sand fill was made, and construction then proceeded satisfactorily.

The building was completed and ready for the opening performances by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in September 1969.

The cost of this project, about $4,500,000, was met entirely from gifts and grants from alumni, students, faculty and other friends of the university. No tax money was involved.

The Theater-Auditorium was named for C.Y. Stephens, a 1925 graduate of Iowa State College. In 1962 he made a (then anonymous) gift of $1,000,000 to the Center project, which helped greatly as an inspiration in the fund-raising drive which he headed until his unfortunate death in an automobile accident in 1963.

The immense, colorful, Japanese-made stage curtain was the gift of J.W. Fisher of Marshalltown, Iowa. It covers the 80 feet wide by 30 feet high proscenium arch.

Seating capacity of the auditorium:

Expansion possible with 112 seats on orchestra lift when that is not used for the production.