{"id":763,"date":"2024-06-04T21:18:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T21:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/?page_id=763"},"modified":"2025-05-08T14:41:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T14:41:43","slug":"fine-arts-building-fab","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/fine-arts-building-fab\/","title":{"rendered":"Fine Arts Building (FAB)"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the University created a Fine Arts department in 1937, dreams of a new building to house its programs were a natural consequence.\u00a0 In her annual recommendations, Westhampton Dean May Keller asked for a fine arts building every year, and the cause was taken up by her successor, Dean Maude Woodfin.\u00a0 Funding, however, was scarce, and for the next several decades the arts departments remained scattered across the campus. \u00a0 In a 1962 letter to The Collegian<\/em>, the University Music Club summed up the situation:<\/p>\n

...at present the art department is cramped into South Court’s basement, the drama students have the quonset hut <\/em>[a corrugated steel structure behind the Chapel], for what it’s worth, and the music department must share Keller Hall with the Physical Education department, alumnae office, Tea Room, and student activities in general<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Construction of the Fine Arts Building, as viewed from Keller Hall<\/p><\/div>\n

It was not until 1965 that sufficient funding was secured — some $2,000,000 would be needed — and construction of the new Fine Arts Building could begin.\u00a0 The architectural firm of Carneal and Johnston was hired, but the acoustical challenge of designing a single venue to host both dramatic and musical performances delayed the planned September 1967 completion.\u00a0 Acoustical consultants from Cambridge, Massachusetts were brought in, and the result, the James L. Camp Memorial Theater, exceeded expectations.\u00a0 The new building also included classrooms, practice rooms, rehearsal space, exhibit space, and a music library.<\/p>\n

The George M. Modlin Fine Arts Building (FAB) was dedicated on November 2, 1968, with a \"\"keynote address by author and theater critic Eric Bentley, and celebrated with a festival featuring all of its constituents.\u00a0 With the construction of the Modlin Center for the Arts in 1996, the FAB was renamed for former University Rector Lewis T. Booker.\u00a0 After the addition of the Alice Jepson Theatre in Modlin, the James L. Camp Memorial Theater in Booker Hall was officially designated a concert hall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the University created a Fine Arts department in 1937, dreams of a new building to house its programs were a natural consequence.\u00a0 In her annual recommendations, Westhampton Dean May Keller asked for a fine arts building every year, and the cause was taken up by her successor, Dean Maude Woodfin.\u00a0 Funding, however, was scarce, and for the next several… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-763","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=763"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1153,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/763\/revisions\/1153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/urmusichistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}