Kresge Auditorium

Kresge Auditorium from rear, looking toward I. M. Pei's Green Building tower at far left.

Kresge Auditorium is an auditorium building for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located at 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was designed by the noted architect Eero Saarinen, with ground-breaking in 1953 and dedication in 1955. The building was named for its principal funder, Sebastian S. Kresge, founder of S. S. Kresge Stores (corporate predecessor of Kmart) and the Kresge Foundation.

Architectural context

Saarinen designed Kresge Auditorium in tandem with his MIT Chapel; the two buildings are separated by a "green," referred to by students as the "Kresge Oval." The ensemble is recognized as one of the best examples of mid-Century modern architecture in the US.

Though unassuming by today's standards, the buildings were part of an attempt to define MIT's social cohesion. The Auditorium was where MIT students and faculty could gather for formal events, the Chapel was intended for marriages and memorial; the green that stretches between the two buildings, in the tradition of early-American urban planning, was to serve as the setting for civic events. Though the campus has grown around the buildings, the essential features of this idea are still easily legible, and the original intentions are reflected in the everyday actual usage of these spaces.

Structure

Roof detail and glass curtain wall

The auditorium is defined by an elegant thin-shell structure of reinforced concrete, one-eighth of a sphere rising to a height of 50 feet, and sliced away by sheer glass curtain walls so that it comes to earth on only three points. Thin-shelled concrete technology was innovative for the times. The dome weighs only 1200 tons and is currently clad with copper. It was originally covered with smooth, bright, orastone which was then replaced with lead sheeting attached with stainless steel wires. In 1980, cracks were found in the supporting structure and the auditorium was closed immediately for repairs. Copper replaced the lead at that time.

Sitting on a circular red brick platform, the dome contains a concert hall (with seating for 1226 people), plus a lower level that houses a small theater (seating 204), two rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, offices, bathrooms, and lounges. The main stage is paneled with warm-colored vertical wood elements that echo the vertical glass panels of the building's facade. The concert hall also contains a Holtkamp acoustic pipe organ, whose pipes visually resonate as a sequence of vertical elements of varying heights. The opening ceremony in 1955 featured that organ, including a piece of music that was commissioned for the event, Aaron Copland's Canticle of Freedom.

Concert hall acoustics

Interior view, with the MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra

Every seat in the concert hall has an unobstructed view, since there are no interior supports for the overarching dome. Working with renowned acoustical architects Bolt, Beranek and Newman, architect Saarinen employed free-hanging acoustic "clouds" that absorb and direct sound, instead of a traditional plaster ceiling. These clouds also contain lights, loudspeakers, and ventilation.

While standing on either side of the entry lobby, one can distinctly hear people on the other side speaking in as low a voice as a whisper. This so-called whispering gallery effect is produced by the geometrical shape and hard surfaces of the space.

The first professional recording at the Kresge Auditorium was a performance by soloist James Stagliano on the French horn, playing Mozart's 4 Concerti for Horn, accompanied by the Zimbler Sinfonietta. The recording was made using a single Telefunken microphone, positioned 10 feet from the concert platform. The performance was recorded on an Ampex tape recorder, and released on LP under the "Boston Records" Label.

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kresge Auditorium.

• Kresge Auditorium.
• Facade of Kresge Auditorium, MIT.
• Kresge Auditorium at Structurae

Coordinates: 42°21′29″N 71°05′42″W / 42.35812°N 71.09507°W / 42.35812; -71.09507