The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Jewett Auditorium and Chapel

Click on image titles for larger views.

Jewett Auditorium and Chapel (exterior), Albertson College of Idaho

Jewett Auditorium and Chapel (auditorium organ), Albertson College of Idaho

Institution Name: Albertson College of Idaho
Original/Historic Place Name: Jewett Auditorium and Chapel
Location on Campus: 2112 Cleveland Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction:

1961	original construction Hummel, Hummel & Jones

Designer: Hummel, Hummel & Jones (Boise, ID)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Modern/post-WWII, Other (Glossary)
Significance: education, history
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: concrete

Walls: brick

Roof: built up

Function:

ca. 1961-1996	other (chaplain's office)
ca. 1961-1996	academic department building (music, theater, religion, and philosophy departments)
ca. 1961-present (2006)	chapel
ca. 1961-present (2006)	auditorium (900 seats)
ca. 1961-present (2006)	theater

Narrative:
The historic appearance of the original building is unchanged. There were recent additions to the organ (a three-manual pipe organ, Casavant Freres Limitee, Quebec; 2,575 pipes), which take further advantage of the auditorium's exemplary acoustics. When these additions were made in 1990, it was discovered that the value of the instrument had appreciated to a figure that exceeded the original construction budget of the entire building.

Jewett Chapel Auditorium was named for George Frederick Jewett (1896-1956), Idaho industrialist and lumberman. The building is significant because of the cultural heritage it both continued and enriched, and for the many notable guest speakers and performers who have appeared at its podium and on its stage. For a number of years after its completion in 1961, Jewett Chapel Auditorium was the cultural focus of the entire Boise Valley, and it was regarded as the most significant performance hall between Portland/Seattle and Salt Lake City. The annual Caldwell Fine Arts Series, which began in 1961, still brings some of the world's outstanding performers to campus.

References:

Attebery, Louie W. Albertson College of Idaho: The Second Hundred Years. Caldwell, ID: Albertson College of Idaho, 1999.

Attebery, Louie W. The College of Idaho 1891-1991: A Centennial History. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Publishers, 1991.