Chapman University has finished repainting its auditorium’s ornate proscenium arch to it’s 1920s-era decorative scheme.

The project had painters detailing the acanthus leaves in beige and dark brown, and the rosettes in red against a white background.

“The colors are based on hues that are consistent with the period in which the building was constructed,” said Kris Eric Olsen, vice president of campus planning and operations.

When Memorial Hall opened in 1921 as the auditorium for Orange High School, the arch framing of the stage was detailed with multi colors. Since then, the original colors have been covered up with layers of single-color paints, obscuring the details.

“Memorial Hall is one of the great, old 1920s-era horseshoe-shaped auditoriums in the country, so this revamp will just add to its overall aura of old-fashioned elegance,” said Mary Platt, a Chapman University spokeswoman.

More Old Towne posts:

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.