NTDMG125.xml Edmund Chavez/Fund for the Performing Arts Center Papers 1959-1976 Chavez/Fund for the Performing Arts Center Papers Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives ©1987 Encoded by ArchProteus2003 Finding aid is in English Overview of the Collection University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives MG125 Edmund Chavez Edmund Chavez Performing Arts Center Papers 1959-1976 1 c.f. Correspondence, minutes of meetings, financial material, architectural plans and drawings, and photographs related to the planning for Hartung Theatre on the University of Idaho campus. English

In the spring of 1959 drama professors Jean Collette and Edmund Chavez began drawing up plans for a new university theater, but it was not until 1966 that a building committee was formed. The committee, which met for two years, was chaired by Boyd Martin, Dean of Letters and Science; Edmund Chavez was secretary.

This would be the first building on the campus not funded by the state. On September 27, 1967, President Ernest Hartung and the Alumni Association launched a campaign to raise nearly $2,000,000 for the center.

A contract was signed with the architectural firm of C.J. Bellamy & Co. of Coeur d'Alene on July 17, 1972, and construction started soon after. A year and a half later, in December 1973, phase one of the proposed three part complex was completed. The finishing touches and final repairs and clean up took the first part of the new year. On April 17 the theater opened with a performance of Lawrence and Lee's play "Jabberwock". The following night "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, was performed.

The formal dedication took place on the morning of April 20, 1974.

The papers in this record group span the years 1959 to 1976, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1966 to 1974.

The papers include correspondence, minutes of meetings, financial material, architectural plans and drawings, and photographs.

The material in this Manuscript Group was sorted by type. The correspondence is arranged chronologically and includes letters to and from the architect, consultants and suppliers, as well as interoffice memorandums to which the fund's financial statements were attached.

The second series includes minutes of several committees involved with the building of the center. This is followed by material directly related to the fund raising campaign, including the Jean Collette and chair funds, and the disbursement of that money.

Another series includes articles on theater design, specifications for the university building, and two bound volumes of architects' plans and drawings. The final series contains photographs of the kickoff rally, fund raising events, architectural drawings, and the construction of the center.

Edmund Chavez, secretary of the building committee, donated his Records of the Fund for the Performing Arts Center to the University of Idaho Library on July 14, 1983.

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Idaho Colleges and Universities Chavez, Edmund--Archives. University of Idaho. Fund for the Performing Arts Center -- History -- Sources University of Idaho. Performing Arts Center University of Idaho -- Buildings Theaters -- Idaho -- Moscow Detailed Description of the Collection Series I. Correspondence and Memos 1959-1976 1/1 Correspondence and Memos 1959-1967 21 items 1/2 Correspondence and Memos 1971-1972 70 items 1/3 Correspondence and Memos 1973-1976 70 items Series II. Meetings and Reports 1966-1973 1/4 Building Committee Meetings 1966-1971 40 items 1/5 Memorandum of Monthly Construction Meetings 1971-1973 9 items 1/6 Construction Inspection Reports 1972-1973 35 items 1/7 Memorandum of Monthly Coordination Meeting 1973 5 items Series III. Financial Material 1967-1974 A. Rally & Fund Raising 1967-1974 1/8 National Kickoff Rally Sept 27, 1967 5 items 1/9 McCall FPAC Dinner, Pres. Hartung's Speech (tape recording) Oct. 17, 1967 1 item 1/10 Newspaper Clippings 1967 15 items 1/11 Letters of solicitation and responses 1968-1974 46 items 1/12 Work Manual for University Representatives 1967 1 item B. Requisitions and Bids 1/13 Requisitions 1972-1974 128 items 1/14 C.J. Bellamy & Co. Bid 1972 6 items 1/15 Seat Plaque Bid 1973 2 items 1/16 Scrim Bids 1974 6 items Series IV. Architectural Material 1965-1974 2/17 General Information 1965-1967 9 items 2/18 Theater Design Articles 1945-1974 10 items 2/19 Specifications and Blueprints 1971-1972 31 items 2/20 Punch Lists 1974 11 items 2/21 "Tentative Plans for a Drama Center for the University of Idaho", Submitted by Jeane Collette, Edmund Chavez and J. Hugh Burgess 1960 1 item 2/22 General Specification, Performing Arts Center, Phase 1 1972 1 item 2/23 Performing Arts Center 1967? 1 item Series V. Photographs 1967-1974 2/24 Kickoff Rally Sept 27, 1967 15 items 2/25 Fund Raising Events 1967-1968 27 items 2/26 Gifts 1967-1968 12 items 2/27 Architectural Models and Drawings 1972 19 items 2/28 Construction 1972-1974 14 items