John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium

Ball State Universitys sixth president, John R. Emens (1945-1968), had a dream. He envisioned a campus of the future complete with an auditorium large enough to house most college functions as well as major symphonies, Broadway productions, ballets, and other forms of entertainment for Muncie and east central Indiana audiences. Planning for the auditorium began as early as 1947, but the U-shaped building was not actually built until 1961. The structure includes the Hargreeves Music Building, Arts and Communications Building, and the 410-seat University Theatre. Emens dream was finally realized on March 14-15, 1964, when the auditorium gave its first performances in the form of a sneak preview, and then it was officially dedicated on Oct. 25 the same year. In its first 25 years alone, more than 3.6 million people visited the then 3,581-seat auditorium to see 2,335 programs. The legendary acoustic, scalloped ceiling and state-of-the-art sound capabilities of Emens Auditorium accoun...