Ashurst Auditorium

Ashurst Hall is a building on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff. It was originally built as the 'missing' wing to Old Main and was finished in 1920 but didn't actually connect to Old Main until 1989. Old Main was constructed in 1894 and was initially a reform school for youth. After that, Old Main was going to be a mental institution but was then was established as the Arizona Normal School. Ashurst was the first auditorium on the NAU campus. Ashurst's architecture mirrors Old Main's with window circling the building. Ashurst Auditorium has been used for banquets, dances, and recitals. In April 1930, Lowell Observatory announced it discovery of Pluto in Ashurst. It was named after Henry Fountain Ashurst who introduced the bill for the establishment of the university in 1899. Ashurst Hall has been remodeled twice, once in 1952, and again in 1989. It served an important role in the development of the performing arts in Flagstaff because it was one of the first auditoriums in Flagstaff. Ardrey Hall (the current performing arts building) was built in 1972 meaning that Ashurst predates it by 52 years. Its also predates Prochnow auditorium by 32 years. Before its construction, the school had assemblies and big gathering at the Orpheum Theater down town, afterwards, major gatherings could be held at Ashurst on campus.

References[]

"NAU Building Histories." Web. 24 May 2016.
Drickamer, Lee C., and Peter J. Runge. Northern Arizona University: Buildings as History. Arizona Board of Regents, 2011. Google Books. Web. 23 May 2016.^{[ISBN missing]}
"Ashurst Hall." Venue. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Prochnow Auditorium." Louie's Legacy. Northern Arizona University, 2014. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Old Main." Old Main. Web. 23 May 2016.