Shryock Auditorium is an

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

located on the campus of

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Chartered in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. SIU enrolls students from all 50 sta ...

in Carbondale,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The auditorium was named for the university's fifth

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, Henry William Shryock, who died inside the building just before a student

convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...

on April 13, 1935. The auditorium is a focal point for musical performances and distinguished lectures in the local area. The auditorium was designed by State Architect James B. Dibelka of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and construction was awarded to

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...

-area general contractor A.W. Stoolman. Construction began in mid-1916, following the award of $135,000.00 for construction by the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

in early 1915. The auditorium's dome was originally stained glass. This was removed in the 1960s to allow for concerts and performances during the day and replaced with an elaborate system of latticework. The original stained glass is maintained by the Special Collections Research Center at

Morris Library Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

on campus. The auditorium's last major upgrade was in 1969-1970. The project included installation of updated theater lighting, and remodeling of the lobby. During construction in 1970, the Reuter

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was also installed on the upper balcony. Between 2002 and 2014, the stage of the auditorium was replaced and a new lighting and electrical control system was installed.

Shryock Organ

A prominent feature of the auditorium is a 3,312-pipe, 3-manual, 58-rank, Reuter Pipe Organ (Opus 1741) built in 1970. The organ was designed by and named for organ professor Marianne Webb, who died on December 7, 2013.

Notable speeches, performances, and events

References

External links

3-D Panoramic Interior Tour
{{coord, 37, 42, 57.4, N, 89, 13, 4.7, W, region:US-IL_type:edu, display=title Auditoriums in the United States Concert halls in Illinois Southern Illinois University Carbondale Buildings and structures in Jackson County, Illinois Event venues established in 1918 Music venues completed in 1918 1918 establishments in Illinois Romanesque Revival architecture in Illinois