Milford chronicle., 1931-08-14
HOLLOWAY GIVES
DATA ON SCHOOL
AUDITORIUMS
TConfinucd from First Pagr1

be the case in the most OF ouI
schools. sufficient seating capacit!
to accommodate the elementar!
, school less the first and secOnC
grades or, to accommodate at most
the Junior and senior high school
pupils and faculty, should be pro
vided. A school consisting of ele
mentary and junior high school pu-
pills should have seating capacity to
= accommodate grades, 8, 4, 5 and g
This would furnish ample room foI
grades 7, 8 and 8, under the ordinary
circumstances of enrolment and
= would permit the addition to that
group of grades 5 and 6. when
thought advisable. Schools cOmbin-
ing junior and senior high school
pupils in any building up to a ca
pacity of say 1000, should have au-
ditorium space for all pupils and
faculty.
"When, however, a combined au-
ditorium and gymnasium is provid-
= ed, as may be done very readily in
schools of 500 pupils or less, the
seating capacity of the auditorium Is
determined by another factor than
actual school enrolment; namely,
the minimum space required for
play floor plus reasonable additional
space for spectators.
From the standpoint of the COM
munity, the principal purposes
which are served by a school audi
torium are as follows: Commence
ments, P. T. A. meetings, lectures
and music programs, public meet
E ings, union religious services, al
umni association meetings, d. adult
education center meetings, deelama-
ton and oritorical contests, '"'boy
scout meetings, etc. l4W tt
"As schools are usually built
from funds raised in the district
; which is to be served, the Size of
the auditorium is limited Il by the
community willingness to- pay for.
what it wants. Ample funds usually
mean spacious and well appointed
auditOriums, meager funds, smaller
and less elaborate ones. Varying
sizes of auditoriums in the schools
of this country indicate that there
is no we'll recognized principle by
which to determine the proper seat
ing capacity of this part of a school
building.
1.-THE intimate relationship that
should exist between the cOmmun-
ity an dthe school strongly urges
that community needs should be
carefully considered in determining
the seating capacity of school audi
toriums, but it must be borne in
mind that community needs may be
classed as ordinary and extraOrdi-
nary needs. The ordinary needs of a
community can be easily met by
providing seating capacity in ac-
cordance with the principles set up
for strictly school needs.
81 am strongly of the opinion that
State school funds at the present
time should not be expended to meet
extraordinary auditorium needs CT
any community.
"There are two school buildings in
Newark; one built about 1905 and
now used for housing children in
the kindergarten grades /, and 8,
[ capacity, 240 pupils; and one new
building housing all the remaining
children from the third grade to the
senior high school, inclusive, with
capacity for 1015 children.
Applying the principles above
set forth strictly school needs, an
: auditorium for the Newark School
should provide seating capacity tor
the enrolment of the first six
s; AIDES $50 pupils, less the number
: ir the kindergarten ard tile first |
two grades; namely, 210 o. 45G; Or
r1r -
-. i0r high school, 595 pupils aud the |
faculty. III u hf |
"bIy recommendation, therefore, is |
that an auditorium be provided 10 |
accommodate GEO persons on the |
floor If the estimate of S60ipSfa per-
son for auditorium construction as !
suggested by Mr.. Martin be used, it /
will be seen that such an aiditofidm |
would cost approximately $4,000. |
Inasmuch as one whole wal4{a |
+ perhaps half of two other walls of |
the proposed auditorium piIdition
are already constructed, it would
seem that this estimate wellllubel
adequate. *+s'sV''f'SN
"FrOm tie standpoint of the de-
sires of the community as repre-
+ scented in the architects sketches of
the proposed addition, the desire of
the community is represented by
an auditorium having a seating ca
pacity of about 500 or $50, gymnas- !
ium, etc. The size of the gymnasi-
um will be governed principally by
the size of Il basketball playing floor
with adequate out of bound space
together with the desirable width of
tn stage of the auditorium, the au-
ditorium itself furnishing adequate
space for spectators. Provisions
should be made to divide the gym
nasium into two parts by means of
large canvas curtains. This will en-
able two groups of students to
work at the same time without in
reference; a group of boys and a
group of girls, for instance.
"While the playrOOm provided for
in the preliminary plans under the
gymnasium might be a desirable ad-
dition, it is not a necessary part of
the building. Outdoor play is far
superior to indoor exercise. Resides h
one purpose of the gymnasium is to
provide space for play during incle-
ment weather, it would be far bet
ter to provide an outdoor play court II
where fresh and dustless air can be
breathed during exercise. The in !
door pOurt adds materially tO the