Be careful with Irvine renovations

Other alumni have written eloquently about Irvine Auditorium and the Curtis Organ (see http://www.upenn.edu/curtisorgan). Not only are they irreplaceable historical treasures from the beginning of the century that the University can be proud to possess, but they also enrich the lives of Penn students, faculty, and staff as well as surrounding community members, alumni and other visitors through the many ceremonies and events, silent films and concerts by notable organists held there. Irvine Auditorium and the Curtis Organ are a vital part of the Penn experience, and should be preserved for future generations. The plans for Irvine Auditorium have some good elements: modern air conditioning and electrical systems and greater wheelchair accessibility can be implemented with minimal intrusiveness and would be great assets. However, I urge the Trustees to approach any renovation of this grand, historic building as restoration rather than as redesign. The current underutilized side hallways and offices in Irvine Auditorium are not original as is evident by comparing the added partition walls to the thick stone walls elsewhere in the building. Restoring the side chambers, which were originally intended as rehearsal halls, would provide the University with much-needed rehearsal and chamber music space. Each chamber is as wide as Irvine's stage. The auditorium's acoustics have had a bad reputation in recent years. This is due in large part to the current aging sound-amplification system. Irvine would benefit from a modern, knowledgeably designed and operated sound reinforcement (rather than "replacement") system that effectively directs sound to the listeners at moderate levels. There is no need to deaden the auditorium. At the May 17 Alumni Weekend organ concert, spoken announcements, made without a microphone, could be heard and understood with little difficulty -- demonstrating that a modern sound system, properly used, would make the auditorium viable for the spoken word as well as music. The majestic 11,000-pipe Curtis Organ in Irvine Auditorium is known throughout the world as one of the last and largest American Symphonic pipe organs, and has been certified by the Organ Historical Society as "an instrument of exceptional historic merit, worthy of preservation." The approach taken toward construction and renovation in the auditorium can ensure the preservation and continued grandeur of this instrument. First, the pipes should be removed, safely stored off site, and subsequently returned by an organ builder qualified to work with historic instruments. The original builder, Austin Organs, Inc., is still in business and has proposed doing this work, as well as cleaning the pipes and repairing the few that are currently damaged. Experience in other construction projects has shown that even when pipes are covered and sealed together with the mechanism, dust, plaster and debris inevitably enter anyway. Organ pipes are much more delicate than they seem; dust and debris, or minute perturbations of thousandths of an inch, can destroy their tonal quality, and most pipes are made of extremely soft tin-lead alloys. Also, the pipes were specified, made, and voiced under the assumption of unobstructed travel of sound to the listening audience. The Curtis Organ's chests and pipes are located in the two upper side balconies as well as in the pipe-fronted organ chambers directly to either side of the stage. Building new walls at the edges of the existing balconies would "box in" both the front and upper side pipe work, greatly diminishing the organ's current grandeur. The restoration of Irvine Auditorium and the maintenance of the Curtis Organ would be a splendid opportunity for the University to demonstrate that it can preserve and respect the gifts and resources that have contributed to its reputation as a world-class institution. This would encourage alumni to continue their high levels of support for the University.