Renovation of the Lupton auditorium was recently completed, turning what was once a theatre into a modern event space — the first fully-hybrid location on Oglethorpe’s campus. Located on the end of Lupton Hall near the Cousins Center for Science and Innovation, the new event space is now open and available to be reserved by the campus community.
A spacious room warmed by natural light, the new space is designed to accommodate more people than ever before. All 150 theatre-style seats have been removed and the sloped floor has been lowered to create a flat hardwood surface, which, combined with the “clouds” on the ceiling, allow for better acoustics throughout.
Now, the 3,533-square-foot space now can host up to 250 occupants for a variety of activities. Furniture has been purchased for the space that can be used for academic purposes, performances, lectures, large group meetings, dinners and other special events.
“Through many iterations of design and discovery through the construction process, we were able to create a brand new space for the campus community that is very modern in its technology and mechanicals but feels very much like part of the history of the building,” says Assistant Vice President for Campus Operations Lance Knight. “We hope to see this space used as a flexible gathering space for prospective Petrels, current Petrels, and our alumni and friends.”
The space has been outfitted with a host of state-of-the-art A/V equipment. A ceiling-mounted projector and a large, drop-down screen are situated at the front of the space, flanked by two wall-mounted monitors. Speaker systems have been installed throughout and new, wireless conferencing capabilities include two drop-down cameras and wireless microphones with the ability to conduct large hybrid — online and in-person — meetings.
A connecting hallway was constructed between the admission office and the space, creating a direct ADA-accessible pathway through the building. Those requiring ADA access can now ride the elevator up from the basement floor of Lupton — accessed from the street side of the building — to the admission office, which now leads into the auditorium.
Along that new corridor are multiple storage and staging locations, a new catering kitchen and two, single-person, all-inclusive bathrooms.
