Contained in the above article is a link to a fascinating failure of a building, the
ATLANTA CIVIC CENTER 1968 - 2015. In some ways, I find this
venue even more interesting than the Fox. Among the tidbits (in no particular order):
1. A 4600-seat
venue, with
acoustics by
Bolt Beranek & Newman.
For some reason lost to time, the project hired as acoustical consultants the Boston firm of
Bolt Beranek & Newman, in 1968 best known for its work on New York's Philharmonic
Hall, which had opened in 1962 to dreadful reviews. The first building in Lincoln Center was the well-publicized worst acoustical disaster of all time.
2. Theatrical lighting manufacturer Lighting Equipment Company (aka LECO) of Elk Grove Village, IL jobbed portions of the project out to Ward-Leonard, Major, possibly
HUB.
The nerve center of the
theatre is the lighting switchboard, with a manufacturer's label saying "Lighting Equipment Company of Elk Grove Village, Illinois." However, the control section is definitely a Ward-Leonard Solitrol.
Of particular interest is the hanging-cord
patch panel (almost certainly
Hub):
Yes, that's a post-1992
ETC Sensor rack interfaced into it, bypassing the "
house dimmers."
3.
Floor pocket s used the rarely-seen grounded triangular
stage plug s.
One of twenty-two
stage deck floor pockets, manufactured by the Major Corporation.
Four (very dirty)
porcelain females to receive the rare triangular grounded "
stage plugs," which were invented in the 50's to satisfy NYC TV studio installs and were known as "TV plugs," pejoratively of course. Ungrounded
stage plugs date back to the 1890's.
As discussed in this CB thread:
https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/triangular-stage-plug.44116/
4. Five
FOH lighting bridges/catwalks/beamslots, some with circuits, some without, but only one (Bridge#2) of which had a view of the
stage un-obstructed by acoustical clouds.
Shown above with 1980s
Strand Century 8x13 (10°)
ERS units. The hanging pipe was "temporarily" installed by the
House Electrician and crew in 1973, and remained until the building closure in 2015.
5. The two-scene
preset lighting
system called for 100x 10K dimmers, but only 50 were ever installed.
6. This quote
"Rock Shows" are not permitted in the Civic Center
Auditorium.
was certainly NOT unique to Atlanta, and is the reason we go today to see popular music acts and Celine Dion in basketball arenas.