The Mabel Shaw Bridges Music Auditorium is the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Appleton Shaw Bridges as a memorial to their daughter (photo at left), who died in 1907 at the age of 22 while a student at Pomona College. Total student enrollment was then 1,300, but Mr. and Mrs. Bridges had confidence in the future. They wanted a hall which would seat twice that number. When it was built in 1931 at a cost of $600,000 it provided seating for some 2500 persons. The auditorium opened in 1932 with Artur Rodzinski conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, a performance that led to a continuing association between the orchestra and the Claremont Colleges.
The auditorium was designed by architect William Templeton Johnson. Conceptually, it is as a free adaptation of Northern Italian Renaissance architecture. Johnson toured the leading concert houses of Europe before drawing his plans. Its great white columns, vaulting arches and massive wooden doors provide an imposing entrance. The foyer is grand but warm with soft lights, hand-painted coffered ceiling and Carrara marble columns.
The building he created was widely regarded as the finest hall in Southern California, and quickly became one of the area's major cultural assets. The Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects presented a Certificate of Honor to the colleges in 1933 for the "exceptional merit" of the building.
Over all, brilliant in indirect lighting, is John Smeraldi's 22,000 square foot ceiling, depicting the signs of the zodiac in blue, silver and gold. It rises 55 feet above the auditorium floor and spans 120 feet with no inside supports. Within, the hall is aesthetically and acoustically gratifying. A 500-seat balcony cantilevers over the main floor without visually obstructive posts. The auditorium has some 60,000 square feet of inside floor space, 14,000 square feet of porches and walks. 90x40-foot stage, with 62-foot procenium opening. When Bridges was built in provided 2,581 seats. After its renovation in 1975, it had 2,497 seats. Current seating accomodates about 2494 people.
Smeraldi's ceiling has continued to intrigue visitors, including astronmer Dr. E.C. Krupp, Director of the Griffith Observatory, who photographed the ceiling in August 1998. While the position of the stars is fanciful, with neither significance nor astronomical integrity, it inspires interest and awe. The constellations depicted include Aries (ram), OrionTaurus (bull), Gemini (twins), Cancer (crab), (hunter), PiscesTriangulum (triangle), Pegasus (flying horse), Ursa (fish), Major(bear) and Draco (dragon). The wide band across the ceiling represents the Milky Way.
From that beginning. the idea was to create something more than just a building; indeed, over the decades since, it has become a statement of faith, foresight and imagination more eloquent than the countless thousands of words that have been written in its praise. It has become a symbol of The Claremont Colleges and one of the most photographed buildings in Southern California.
Over the past 67 of service the auditorium's has seen such artists and personalities as Lily Pons, Fritz Kreisler, Marian Anderson, Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Lauritz Melchior, John Charles Thomas, Kirsten Flagstad, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Yehudi Menuhin, and Eve Curie. Great symphony orchestras, distinguished operatic companies, and celebrated personalities in the dramatic arts and entertainment fields make a list that defines the best in arts and culture for the better part of the twentieth century.
Director Jay Doty with old posters
Also performing in concert at Bridges Auditorium have been many of the popular bands of the day. Among them: Fionna Apple, Morrisey, Dave Matthews, Violent Femmes, Third Eye Blind, and Cocteau Twins. Rehearsal space has been provided for others, including White Zombie, Stone Temple Pilots, and House of Blues "Barn Burner Four".
You are invited to review our 1999-2000 season. Bridges Auditorium continues to be one of Southern California's premier college venues for the best in music, theatre, and performing arts.
