Memorial Hall ready for opening

The top of the stage will hang roughly 89 feet above the heads of Memorial Hall’s future performers.

The musicians, actors and speakers will look out to face 1,434 navy blue seats — now only one month old and still covered with plastic.

Shades of paint varying between canary and mustard yellow decorate the plaster walls, and a powder blue-outlined ceiling hangs overhead.

In the center of the ceiling, the building’s original gold chandelier — just recently cleaned — emits a deep glow and is surrounded by four new, smaller chandeliers.

“We have really polished a great jewel and enhanced it,” said Paul Kapp, campus historic preservation manager.

The $17.9 million, three-year renovation of Memorial Hall — originally slated to be finished in late 2004 — should be completed by late July, adding about 20,000 square feet to the 74-year-old building.

Two new wings and a basement are among the hall’s main additions, as well as concession stands and an outdoor ticket booth.

While problems such as asbestos in the ceiling and underground utility lines had pushed back the completion date, it’s expected to be ready for the Sept. 9 grand opening featuring crooner Tony Bennett.

“You always run into bumps in the road during construction,” said Lindsay Hopkins, the construction manager. “We’re still going to meet the grand opening date, so I don’t think anyone’s going to be too upset.”

The main reasons for the renovationn included increasing the number of bathrooms from two to six, making the building handicap accessible, and adding heating and air conditioning, Hopkins said.

“I think that it probably was just not usable,” she said. “You used to have to go to other buildings to use the bathrooms during intermission.”

The new bathrooms boast gray marble slabs placed between shiny metal stalls. Mahogany doors separate the public from the peach walls and tile floors.

Ramps on the outside front entrance, elevators in the building’s new east wing — one for the public and one for performers — and two side platforms at the front of the balcony provide the building with more handicap-friendly access.

Preserving historical artifacts was also an issue during the building’s renovation. On the second floor and in the lobby, stone plaques honoring former University trustees, deans and other important affiliates had to be covered with plywood during the process.

Other plaques were in the hall’s old stairwells — located where the new coat-check room and ticket booth are in the lobby — and had to be moved before they lined the first floor halls.

Kapp said only one plaque was hurt during renovation but the cornerstone was never damaged.

To inaugurate the end of renovation, the six-columned building will host an extensive lineup of acts for the 2005-06 school year.

National Public Radio’s show “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” will be taped at the hall Sept. 15 and 16 as part of the grand opening events.Scheduled bluegrass singers Tift Merritt and Ralph Stanley with the Red Clay Ramblers will celebrate the hall’s southern locale. “Having venues like this at a historic campus is part of the experience,” Kapp said.

He also noted that all of the additions and renovations have made the long process worthwhile.

“When people come for performances, I think they’ll know they’re at Carolina.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.