Musical Arts Center (Indiana University) Location Bloomington, Indiana Size 192,000 Square Feet Cost Please contact us for up-to-date figures Status Completed The Musical Arts Center (MAC), designed by Woollen, Molzan and Partners, includes a 1,500-seat house, which many believe is acoustically and technically “unequalled by any other U.S. university.” In comparing the MAC to the European opera house LaScala, the Architectural Record wrote “the seats, balconies and boxes in the new house work far better than those in its European counterparts. The acoustics are excellent.” The article continued to note that the job was not in organizing the theater or stage areas, “but rather in providing the most flexible environment for training the 1600 future musicians and technicians doing their major work in the school. Classroom and other instructional spaces occupy nearly two-thirds of the area of the building.” The New York Times called the acoustics “magnificent.” The art-filled lobbies are generous and intended to be used for meetings, seminars, and rehearsals, as well as intermission. The intimacy of the hall was accomplished by adding width and removing inside aisles. To accommodate latecomers and leg room there is more space between rows. The stage, which is nearly equivalent to the Metropolitan Opera’s in size, is surrounded by workshops, special rehearsal rooms, ballet studios and teaching facilities. The orchestra pit has two levels, allowing the stage to be extended when there is a small orchestra. The side and rear stages contain rolling platforms on which scenery can be built and quickly moved into place. In the rear a turntable can be used for set changes or other dramatic effects. The lighting controls are highly sophisticated with 200 preset combinations. Contact Project Architect Lynn Molzan: lmolzan@woollenmolzan.com 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Return To Project List