90 seats sold as of July 1, 2009

See the construction progress of the project.

Put your mark on the new George C.S. Benson Auditorium by putting your name on a seat! Recognize a family member, honor a Pitzer student or graduate. Memorialize a loved one. Pay tribute to an influential member of the faculty or staff. Leave a legacy for generations to come!

Purchasing a seat for $500 in the George C.S. Benson Auditorium is a thoughtful and enduring way to honor someone who has made an impact on your life or Pitzer College.

The auditorium in Avery Hall has been at the heart of campus life at Pitzer College for the past 40 years. Since Avery Auditorium opened in 1969, theatrical productions, concerts, lectures, classes and more have come to life on its stage. It has been the venue for music and dance performances by the Bill T. Jones Dance Company, visiting lecturers and writers like T. C. Boyle, student activities like the Outside the Box Theater, first-year seminars and more.

Robert Day has presented Pitzer College with a personal gift of $3 million for the renovation of the auditorium. The generous gift is one of the largest private donations ever received by the College and will be used to completely renovate and upgrade the auditorium, which was built in 1969. At Day’s request, the auditorium will be named George C.S. Benson Auditorium to honor his good friend, the late Dr. George Benson, a founding trustee of Pitzer College as well as a founding trustee and founding president of Claremont McKenna College.

The top-to-bottom renovation of the auditorium includes expanded performance and lecture space, a new dual purpose glass-enclosed lobby opening onto the Mounds, new seating throughout the facility and an attractive exterior architectural design. Brenda Levin of Levin & Associates Architects, Los Angeles, is the architect for this project (and was the architect for the successful renovation of the Griffith Park Observatory). Now underway, this project is expected to be complete by spring 2010. View the project plans.

To purchase one or more seats for the George C.S. Benson Auditorium, click here to be taken to our secure online giving page.

 

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Fax: 909.621.8539
giving@pitzer.edu