Missouri State University Libraries
Juanita K. Hammons Hall
for the Performing Arts
Volume: 5 cubic feet
Dates: 1961-2003
Provenance
The collection was acquired in 2003. It was processed in 2006 by Beth Aldrich.
Copyright
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Access
The collection is unrestricted. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be obtained from the Department of Special Collections and Archives. Citations should be as follows: Identification of the item, box number, Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, [RG 16/15], Department of Special Collections and Archives, Missouri State University.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
Missouri State University was founded in 1905 as Missouri State Normal School, Fourth District, and changed names three more times before the last change occurred in August 2005. These records were obtained during the course of a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant-funded project to enhance the University Archives.
For many years, the construction of a performing arts center in Springfield, Missouri, was discussed and promoted by some residents and members of the arts community. Newspaper clippings in this collection from 1961 report on meetings held to study the issue of where to build a civic auditorium. A $13.5 million bond to build a city civic center was defeated by the voters of Springfield in 1968. In 1980 the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce established a Performing Arts Committee to revisit the issue with a charge to examine the need, feasibility, and interest in Springfield for a performing arts center.
After (then) Southwest Missouri State University became interested in the construction of a performing arts center (PAC), the Missouri General Assembly in 1985 appropriated $5 million toward a joint university-community PAC if an additional $5.8 million was raised privately. A capital campaign raised the funds for the university’s performing arts center which was named Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. (Note: This same campaign also raised money for the new business school building named David D. Glass Hall.)
Below is a list of some important dates leading up to the opening of the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts (HHPA):
| 1985 | General Assembly appropriates $5 million for the PAC. |
| 1986 | President Marshall Gordon names the architect selection committee. |
| 1987 | Selection of the following announced: Architects – Pellham-Phillips- Hagerman/Butler Group-AIA, joint venture Theatrical consultant – Jerit/Boys, Inc Acoustical consultant – Paoletti/Lewitz/Associates |
| 1988 | John Q. Hammons donates the land for the PAC. |
| 1989 | Enoch C. Morris hired as executive director of the PAC. December 12 – groundbreaking ceremony with announcement that the PAC would be named for Juanita K. Hammons, wife of John Q. Hammons. |
| 1990 | Construction starts in April. Construction manager – Nabholz Construction Corporation, Conway, AR. |
| 1992 | September 8 – Dedication and Ribbon Cutting ceremony. September 11 – HHPA opens with Inaugural Gala. |
The construction of HHPA was not without controversy, however. The original budget approved in 1988 was for $10.8 million, but in September 1991 the SMSU Board of Regents (now called Governors) was informed by President Gordon that the cost had risen to $17.3 million. The following year at the university was a tumultuous one, resulting in the end of Marshall Gordon’s tenure as president in September 1992.
Scope and Content
The contents of these files cover some of the early history of the city’s initiative to develop a performing arts center. The bulk of the materials cover the records of committees formed to plan and design the PAC; the progress of the construction; the capital campaign to raise the required private funds; the Inaugural Events committee; House Reports; and, the contents of five large binders that include newspaper clippings and some photographs.
The files from the early years cover planning done by the coalition of university and community people involved with the arts. Once the initial state appropriation to the university was awarded, the university assumed the lead role in the project (as reflected in these records) with the university’s hiring of the executive director, the management of the construction by university personnel, and the direction of the capital campaign.
Records pertaining to the Center for Art in the Schools are part of this collection. The Center is the educational outreach program of HHPA. It is a partnership among HHPA, the College of Arts and Letters, Springfield Public schools and Associate school districts. Since 1995, the Center has been a member of the Partners in Education program through the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. The primary focus of the CAS is to provide professional development workshops for teachers in a 24 county area surrounding Missouri State University, as well as support of the Artist-in-Residence program. Matinee performances are presented just for young students.
Series I: PAC History
The records in this series date from 1981 to 1989 and include general meeting minutes of the performing arts
center planning group as well as its subcommittees: governance; facilities and programming; and communications.
This series also contains a 1981 report titled The Tuning Fork Project, which evaluated the feasibility of a
center in Springfield, and a 1985 survey of area arts organizations, which was used to develop what the basic
design of this facility should be to meet the needs of the various community arts groups. A second phase of the
planning process dealt with the academic needs of the university arts programs and how those needs would be
addressed.
Series II: Construction
The records in this series are from 1989 to 1994. Items of note include information on the groundbreaking
ceremony, the project directory, construction updates, Chili at the Hall, the Hard Hat concert, and minutes
from weekly meetings of the principals involved in the construction.
Also included, as a result of the controversy surrounding the cost to complete this project, are statements of understanding with the Board of Regents showing changes in the scope of the project that were developed to complete the project as inexpensively and soon as possible.
Series III: Inaugural
Plans for the gala opening of HHPA began in 1991 and continued up to September 1992 with an entire month of
special events and activities. A Task Force was formed to organize all of the events, information and publicity.
This series contains task force meeting minutes; records of the Dedication and Ribbon Cutting ceremony on
September 8, 1992; information on the time capsule; brochures; and the souvenir magazine On Stage.
Series IV: Special Events
This series documents some special events that were coupled with fund raising efforts for the Hall. The events
include performances by Carol Channing, Diahann Carroll, Victor Borge, and Tony Bennett. The date range is 1991
to 2002.
Series V: Capital Campaign
The records in this series date from 1986 to 1992. Among the files are status reports, named gifts, Fulfilling
the Dream brochures, and the Insider’s Report. This capital campaign was designed also to raise money for the
new SMSU business building named for David D. Glass, so some information on that effort is part of these
records.
Series VI: Publications
Included in this series are the Preview and Opening Nights newsletters, informational brochures on the Hall
and on ways of giving financially, and The Season brochures that advertise the upcoming performances.
(Note: The seasons at HHPA run concurrent with the Missouri State University academic year from the fall
of one year to the spring of the following year and are filed accordingly.)
Series VII: House Reports
House reports are written at the conclusion of every event held at HHPA and include information on
attendance, weather, volunteers, maintenance or technical problems, ticketing, traffic, and miscellaneous
comments about the event. Reports in this series cover 1993-2001.
Series VIII: Center for Art in the Schools
The CAS records in this series date from the start of the program in 1995 and are filed in accordance with
the academic calendar. The files include items such as program and workshop flyers, performance and recital
programs, photographs of some performances and receptions, and summaries of the yearly activities with
attendance figures. Among the documents are performance guides for use by the teachers in their classrooms.
An outline of the CAS history is included, too, that was prepared for the publication of Daring to Excel.
Series VIII: Scrapbooks
This series contains newspaper clippings and photographs which were collected over the years and organized
originally into binders. While the bulk of the items date from the mid-1980s to 1992, some newspaper clippings
that reported on city efforts to build a performing arts center or civic auditorium in Springfield date back
to 1961. Other newspaper clippings pertain to the controversy that arose over the cost of the project. The
photographs are primarily of the groundbreaking ceremony and the construction of HHPA. The items have been
removed from the binders but left in the sleeves and order in which they were first stored and collected.
Container List
The container list for this collection is available in PDF format. Adobe Reader is required to view the container list.
