Popejoy Hall
Early Stages of Planning
The original plans for a concert venue on the University of New Mexico’s campus were made in a partnership with the city of Albuquerque. The city agreed to fund a large portion of the building because Albuquerque residents were desperate for a proper event venue. The plan was in the works for years and a spot on the UNM golf course was chosen to be the site. President Popejoy and the Albuquerque mayor at that time Clyde Tingley had disputes over the size of the auditorium. Mayor Tingley wanted a sports arena that could seat at least 7,000 people and the plans to build a small venue on UNM campus were not sufficient. The plans were halted in 1950 and the result was the city and the university going separate ways. In 1957 the City of Albuquerque opened their venue eventually named Civic Auditorium.
An early illustration of Popejoy Hall
Popejoy’s Perseverance
The story of the success of Popejoy Hall cannot be described without explaining the role Tom L. Popejoy himself had. It took the university and Popejoy himself over ten years of fundraising tirelessly in order to build their own concert venue on campus. Construction took only two years and costed over two and a half million dollars. The University of New Mexico Fine Arts Center Concert Hall officially opened on October 1, 1966.
Albuqurque Journal article published in the weeks leading up to the opening.
President Popejoy retired from office after twenty years in 1968. After his retirement the concert venue was given his name. Popejoy Hall is located in the Fine Arts building which it shares with the College of Fine Arts on the southside of the university’s main campus. Rodey Theatre and Keller Hall are smaller venues located on the other side of the Fine Arts building.
Another diagram of the design of Popejoy Hall. Provided are the names of the architects- Holien and Buckley, the acoustical consultants- Bolt, Beranek, and Newman, and the theater design & engineering consultant- George C. Izenour.
An illustration of the interior of the concert venue. The names of the architects are in the caption- Edward Holien and William Buckley.
Legacy
Popejoy Hall is the largest performance hall of its type in New Mexico with a total seating capacity of 1985 seats. It is the only venue where Broadway shows come to New Mexico and a wide variety of other shows and concerts happen year round. The Popejoy Schooltime Series provides opportunities for young school children to experience live theater, often for the first time. These reasons, and many others contribute to Popejoy Hall’s monumental place not just on the University of New Mexico’s campus, but in the city of Albuquerque. Today Popejoy Hall’s funding is completely independent of the University. The mission statement of Popejoy Hall is “to provide access to the performing arts for all New Mexicans”. The true impact of Popejoy Hall on campus and in the city is incalculable.
Popejoy Hall shortly after opening, Circa 1966.
The Fine Arts Building today
A picture of the Popejoy stage before modern renovations.
The interior of Popejoy Hall as it looks today.
Citations
University of New Mexico Dept. of Facility Planning Records, 1889-ongoing, UNMA028, Box 48.
“Popejoy @ 50”. Directed by Archie Chapa. Accessed May 10, 2019. http://popejoypresents.com/about/popejoy-50.
Additional information can be found at popejoypresents.com
