Orem’s Library Hall auditorium opening just a week away
The auditorium remains partially incomplete as construction continues on the Orem Public Library Hall auditorium addition on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
The exterior, which faces State Street, remains partially incomplete as construction continues on the Orem Public Library Hall auditorium addition on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
An amphitheater and seating area remain partially incomplete as construction continues on the Orem Public Library Hall auditorium addition on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Calling it a new chapter in Orem’s history, Mayor Richard Brunst and other city officials turned the soil May 14, 2019, on the hotly anticipated Library Hall auditorium addition.
Now approaching two years after a few postponements due to COVID-19, the Library Hall auditorium is nearly ready for its grand opening at 3 p.m. March 9.
The Bonner Family will be the first event on March 22. Given COVID-19 restrictions, the library can’t fill every seat, but it will have some live audience members in attendance along with a streaming option for this singing group.
“The new Library Hall will enhance library programs significantly,” said Nathan Robison, outreach librarian. “Having a space that has been created specifically to highlight performances, workshops, author visits and lectures will enable us to make our programs even better.”
The Orem Public Library has provided wonderful programs and performances for more than a decade, but space for these activities has been limited, Robison added. “We often had audience members standing behind the bookshelves or sitting on the floor for performances, making it difficult for them to see and hear the performances. Now we have a space designed for both audiences and performers of all kinds.
“I’m really excited about the gallery space in the lobby of Library Hall. Our community is filled with amazing artists and now we have a venue to showcase their work,” Robison said.
During the groundbreaking in 2019, Brunst said, “This is a great day and wonderful for our citizens. It is a beautiful community center.”
To get to the point of opening this center for programs and entertainment has not been easy and earlier on became a political subject that candidates have campaigned on. Raising money was not always easy as well.
“We are so grateful to have this new facility to better serve our community. This project was in the works for over 10 years, so walking through the finished building feels like a dream come true,” said Charlene Crozier, director.
“Library Hall is about opportunity. This new space increases our ability to highlight local talent as well as offer a wide variety of opportunities to audience members of all ages,” Crozier said.
“The effort to build Library Hall has been championed by some of the finest individuals I’ve ever known,” Crozier said. “We are so appreciative of the citizens of Orem, our elected officials both past and present, generous donors, our development team, and many city staff members who have contributed to getting this project to the finish line.”
In the beginning, well over a decade ago, it was tied to the Storytelling Festival organization and was originally called the Center for Story.
Orem residents Karen and Alan Ashton donated $1 million startup money to help the Center for Story get off the ground.
Early studies had shown that the most advantageous spot for the center was at the SCERA Center for the Arts.
That did not happen, but it did begin a course of events that caused numerous issues including not only a larger auditorium, but classrooms, exhibition hall, and rooms to record in, particularly for residents to record their family history. It would also house offices for the Storytelling Festival and foundation.
Through it all the Ashtons’ donation was a part of what is now the Library Hall auditorium, a much smaller venue.
“This will provide a place where residents can come and learn, grow and celebrate arts for years to come,” Crozier said during the groundbreaking.
Joe Smith, architect with Method Studio, has been through a number of changes over the years for the auditorium, but he stayed on with the project and helped break ground, and will be there for the grand opening.
Crozier’s programs at the library are bringing in more and more patrons each year, and the area for presentations seems smaller and smaller.
The new auditorium will provide more pubic seating and program opportunities for the library.
