Rarig Center

Rarig Center
A topheavy concrete and brick building stands before a courtyard and paths.
The Rarig Center in 2021 as seen from the north
Map
General information
TypeTheater
Architectural styleBrutalism
Address330 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Coordinates44°58′13″N 93°14′32″W / 44.9704083°N 93.2423223°W / 44.9704083; -93.2423223
Named forFrank Rarig
Completed1971
OwnerUniversity of Minnesota
Design and construction
Architect(s)Ralph Rapson and Associates
Website
Official website

The Rarig Center is a brutalist theater, television, radio, and classroom building on the University of Minnesota's campus in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, US. Designed by Ralph Rapson and built in 1971, the structure houses four theaters—a thrust, proscenium, theater in the round, and black box—as well as the studios for Radio K. An anchor for the University's West Bank Arts Quarter, the Rarig has been praised for its boldness and functionality[1][2] but has also been described as "menacing".[2]

Design

The Rarig Center was designed and built in 1971 by American architectural firm Ralph Rapson and Associates.[1] Erected in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Rarig was constructed to house theaters and television studios.[3] It sits due west of Ferguson Hall (1985), across 4th Street South to the north of the Regis Center for Art (2003), and directly southeast of Wilson Library (1967).[1][2][4][5] It is the oldest of the five buildings to make up the University's West Bank Arts Quarter.[2] The structure was named in honor of University of Minnesota speech professor Frank Rarig and dedicated June 1, 1973.[6]

Rapson's design for the Center borrowed imagery from Swiss-French designer Le Corbusier's New Brutalism movement.[1] In a contemporary review of the structure, author Larry Millett noted that the Rarig is the "strongest architectural statement on the West Bank campus."[2] Upon venturing inside, he wrote, "you half expect to find the leaders of the Evil Empire gathered somewhere in the three-story-high atrium, plotting the demise of Luke Skywalker."[2] Authors David Gebhard and Tom Martison indicated that, like other Rapson-designed theaters, the Rarig's were quite functional and described the building as a "theatrical piece of sculpture".[1] Millett wrote that the building's interior rooms—the offices, the radio and television studios, and the theaters—are all apparent in the building's external features.[2]

Facilities

Theaters

The Rarig houses four theaters and hosts two troupes: the University Theatre and the Xperimental Theater.[7] The largest space is the Stoll Thrust Theatre, a 460-seat thrust stage designed as a quarter-scale replica of the original Guthrie Theater, which Rapson also designed. The Thrust features a steeply overhanging balcony, described as an "Alpine Slope".[8] The next largest theater is the Whiting Proscenium Theatre, also called the Pro, a 420-seat proscenium stage well suited to productions with large casts and dance performances. The Kilburn Arena Theatre, a 200-seat theater in the round, includes a sprung floor over the original wood flooring. The Nolte Xperimental Theatre, also known as the X, is a black box theater with a capacity of up to 99 audience members and is configurable in a variety of ways.[8] Productions in the X are produced only by undergraduates.[7]

Other

The studios of Radio K (KUOM), the University of Minnesota's radio station, are housed in the Rarig Center.[9] A variety of classrooms and theater laboratories also exist within the building, including a design studio and costume, scenery, and lighting shops.[8]

  • A riverbank of trees, many without their leaves, behind which sits Ferguson Hall, directly in front of the Rarig Center. To the right is Anderson Hall, with the Social Sciences Building behind it, while to the left is the Ted Mann Concert Hall, in front of Middlebrook Hall.
    Rarig Center as seen from the Washington Avenue Bridge
  • An elevated view of a brick and concrete building at night, lit up from the glow of street lamps, sitting behind trees missing their leaves and shrubbery, which itself is behind a sidewalk and street.
    The south facade of Rarig at night, as seen from the 21st Avenue Parking Ramp
  • A brick and concrete building in the background, in front of a greenspace full of trees missing their leaves, and pavement, directly to the right of a large brick building with a bicycle rack on the side of it. Several students are walking on the pavement in the direction of the brick and concrete building. The sky is entirely covered by a cloud.
    The west side of Rarig
  • A person biking past the corner of a brick and concrete building, under a nearly clear sky. In front of the building are several trees and bushes, which themselves are behind a large section of pavement.
    The southwest corner of Rarig
  • A concrete building sitting behind several trees covered in snow.
    Rarig during snowy weather in October of 2009
  • A closeup of a sign on the left, the top text reading "University of Minnesota", and the bottom, slightly larger text reading "Rarig Center". A building's exterior on the right, made up of concrete and brick has large doors under an overhang, and windows with their blinds slightly drawn. In front of the building, people are standing around and talking.
    Rarig during the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival
  • A multi-story interior atrium, made of concrete and with a staircase running downwards in the middle. Several multi-colored banners hang next to the stairs. The back wall has text slightly blocked from view by the banners, with the visible portion reading "osceniu" in cursive.
    Rarig's interior atrium in 2007
  • A sunken black box theater space with several audience members in the first two rows of chairs facing the stage
    The Nolte Xperimental Theatre during the 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival
  • A prop plane with several pieces of cloth on top of it sits to the right of a man in pilot gear and a young child in pajamas.
    A stage adaptation of The Little Prince in the Rarig Center's Proscenium, in 2010

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Gebhard, David; Martinson, Tom (1978). A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0816607754.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. 147–148. ISBN 978-0-87351-540-5.
  3. ^ Boyle, Deirdre (1997). Subject to Change: Guerrilla Television Revisited. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-19-504334-1.
  4. ^ University of Minnesota Parking and Transportation Services; CartoGraphics Incorporated (2014). University of Minnesota Minneapolis West Bank (PDF) (Map). University of Minnesota. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  5. ^ Lehmberg, Stanford; Pflaum, Ann M. (2000). The University of Minnesota, 1945–2000. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-8166-3255-8.
  6. ^ "Frank M. Rarig papers". University of Minnesota Archival Collections Guides. University of Minnesota Libraries. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Berger, Todd R. (2008). Insiders' Guide to the Twin Cities (6th ed.). Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-0-7627-4788-7.
  8. ^ a b c "Rarig Center". Department of Theatre Arts & Dance. University of Minnesota. 2011. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  9. ^ Davis, Rick (2006). Get Media Airplay: A Guide to Getting Song Exposure, Music/Product Tie-Ins & Radio-Play Spins!. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-4234-1308-0.