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Claremont Colleges Transfer Bridges Auditorium Ownership
To Pomona College
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The Claremont University Consortium Board of Overseers and
the Pomona College Board of Trustees have voted to transfer
ownership of the Bridges Auditorium to Pomona College
effective July 1, 2007. The CUC vote occurred at the Board’s
April 11 meeting, and the Pomona College vote followed on
May 12, 2007.
With Pomona College in the midst of a multi-year strategic
planning effort, many people involved in the decision about
Bridges Auditorium see a brief window of opportunity to
solve a problem for the Claremont Colleges and to give
Pomona flexibility in finding a solution for Bridges
Auditorium, which has been an architecturally central
feature of the Pomona campus for more than 75 years.
According to Richard Fass, vice president of planning at
Pomona College, “This is a win-win situation. It solves The
Claremont Colleges’ problem of having a not very functional
building with substantial deferred maintenance costs on the
horizon, and it gives Pomona the opportunity to incorporate
a modified Bridges into its strategic planning process which
will almost certainly include significant new facilities for
the arts, over the next several years.”
Pomona will honor all existing contracts and commitments for
using Bridges Auditorium through at least June 30, 2009 and
assures some level of future use by the community and The
Claremont Colleges in the future.
According to James L. Dunkelman, interim chief executive
officer for CUC, “This is a wonderful opportunity for
Bridges Auditorium to become a component of Pomona College’s
future planning. In addition, it also promises the infusion
of resources into Bridges Auditorium, which has substantial
deferred maintenance and the need for updated equipment to
support modern production technologies.” Dunkelman estimates
the total deferred maintenance and capital renewal
requirements range from $25 to $60 million.” The ultimate
goal is to have an upgraded facility that will continue to
serve the needs of Pomona College, The Claremont Colleges
and the community for years to come.
The Mabel Shaw Bridges Auditorium was built for the
Claremont Colleges on the Pomona College campus in 1931 at a
cost of $600,000 and opened in 1932. It was designed by
architect William Templeton Johnson as a free adaptation of
Northern Italian Renaissance architecture.
The Auditorium was closed in 1975 to bring it up to
then-current fire code and renovation of furnishing and
equipment at a cost of $1.6 million. In addition to cosmetic
renovation, the project included seismic and fire/life
safety upgrades as well as auxiliary power, new lighting,
new sound system, new stage rigging, improved ventilation
and an elevator in the lobby.
Twenty years later, usage of the facility had fallen
dramatically and in 1994, the Council of Presidents voted to
close the building. At that time, the possibility of
transferring ownership to Pomona was explored but not
pursued further, and the closure was “temporarily”
rescinded. Studies of Bridges Auditorium in 1995 concluded
the cost of deferred maintenance and renewal issues of the
building systems was substantial. Among the items needing
repair are the mechanical and plumbing systems which date
primarily from the original construction, with some
modifications and parts replacement over the past years.
Most of the building’s electrical service is also original.
Pomona began its strategic planning process in 2005 and
expects to complete its plans in fall 2007. The College
anticipates incorporating the building into its plan as an
auditorium and performance space and making it available to
the community and the Claremont Colleges as it has been
traditionally.
CONTACTS:
Richard Fass
Vice President of Planning
Pomona College
Email: Richard.Fass@pomona.edu
Phone: (909) 621-8507
Barbara Jefferson
Director of Advancement
The Claremont Colleges
Email: Barbara.Jefferson@cuc.claremont.edu
Phone: (909) 607-7431 |
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