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A nearly 60-year-old arts and entertainment site on Indianapolis’ westside will receive a makeover this spring.
The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation awarded Butler University $1 million for upgrades to Clowes Memorial Hall. Aaron Hurt is the executive director of the Butler Arts Center. He said structural changes to improve safety and security will benefit performers and improve patron access before performances and during intermissions.
"If you've been to a show at Clowes Hall since we've had metal detectors the past few years, sometimes it gets a little slow; so, are you going to make it on time to your seat? We were really trying to find ways to how do we make that an easy process, how to make that as pleasurable as possible so it's not a pain to come into a building," Hurt said. "You don't want to come into a show upset, you want to come in happy and enjoy the experience.”
Similar to other performance halls, Hurt said the pandemic cancelled the 2020 season, but led to a growth in audience through the center’s virtual events. Construction on Clowes Hall will begin May 1 and should be completed by the end of August when students return to campus.
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