Striking a chord

Berry College renews its iconic Ford Auditorium

The transformation is breathtaking. The $5.4 million makeover of historic Ford Auditorium at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia is a delight for artists and audiences alike.

By Nick Clements, Photography by Burton Photography Inc.

A reflecting pool offers a mirrored view of the entrance to the Bell Recital Hall at Ford Auditorium, part of Berry College’s Ford Complex of Oxford-inspired Collegiate Gothic style buildings.

With a sweeping modernization of the college’s signature venue for music performance, which also serves as a centerpiece for music education, the project’s high notes include interior demolition, preservation and restoration, remedial waterproofing, and upgrades to spaces and elements throughout the facility—lobby, restrooms, acoustical curtain systems, green room, storage spaces, ventilation system, and multimedia capabilities among them. Foremost, the project revolved around creating high-performance acoustics.

The richness, warmth and depth of the radiused red oak ceiling, hand-stained espresso, herald the building’s new aesthetics and acoustical fine tuning. Flutter panels, diffusers and acoustical banners are among features, some hidden, that bounce sound off different planes and angles, reflecting advances in the science of acoustics. The stage is reconfigured, appreciably larger and more accessible. New lighting fixtures, continental seating, and LED strip lighting around the stage are among myriad special touches.

Re-introduced as preeminent features are the hall’s plaster arches and marquee religious exhortations. Worn by moisture infiltration and general deterioration, the horizontal inscriptions were revived by meticulous remediation, cleaning and repainting. Five-foot sections of the original plaster arches were dispatched to a California firm to create molds for recapturing the arches’ ornate splendor.

Restoration work protected and delicately renewed the original wood of upper and lower balconies, each redesigned and modernized for comfort and improved sound and sightlines. Refinements include an AV booth, wood flooring, upgraded seats and new hardware for the doors.

Ford Auditorium— named after industrialist Henry Ford, who along with his wife, Clara, were among the school’s earliest and most generous supporters—was built in the late 1920s and stands as a marvel of century-ago craftsmanship. More than 500 alumni and friends supported the renovation and restoration of the beloved facility as part of Berry’s LifeReady Campaign. The beautifully renewed performance space has been christened the Betty Anne Rouse Bell Recital Hall at Ford in recognition of an accomplished vocalist and dedicated arts advocate whose experiences as a Berry student kindled her lifelong love of the arts. Artisans of many talents worked meticulously to balance historical hallmarks with modern-day ambiance and superior sound. Here’s a pictorial look at the project. CCR Light filters through the repaired and restored leaded stained glass cathedral windows, softly illuminating modern enhancements to the performance hall, including state-of-the-art sound system and theatrical lighting.

Nick Clements, a project manager for JE Dunn Construction, oversaw the historic renovation of Ford Auditorium at Berry College. A seven-year industry veteran, other project in his portfolio include the WellStar Cobb Hospital and Bobby Dodd Stadium at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Clements also is active in the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and the Construction Owners Association of America.

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