The secret life of Barnum Hall

For students, Barnum Hall may just be part of the landscape. Everyone walks by it a few times a day during passing periods, lugs heavy bags and instruments alongside it and slumps into its seats for the occasional assembly. However, there is more to Barnum Hall than meets the eye. Students in the music program have ventured into the various hallways behind the stage for tuxedo fittings, and members of the pit orchestra have found their way to the pit and played alongside performers who use the dressing rooms. Unbeknownst to many, Barnum serves as the office for an entire branch of the district. They manage all events throughout the entire district and provide technicians who make sure each event runs smoothly. Barnum Hall has a long and tumultuous history. It was built in 1937 as a result of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program created as a part of the New Deal. It gave about 8.5 million people work and employed many artists to create inspiring murals in public places. One of these murals can be seen in the lobby entitled “The Landing of the Vikings in Vinland,” depicting a group of vikings making landfall in North America.   In 1944, it was renamed from “The Auditorium” to “Barnum Hall” in memory of principal William F. Barnum after his death. After the completion of the Civic Center, however, the lack of use caused it to deteriorate to a point where it could no longer be used. Between 1994 and 2004, with funds from the local and state level and almost $1 million raised by alumni and the community, Barnum Hall was renovated. Band teacher Terry Sakow taught at Samo before Barnum Hall was refurbished and recalls some strange remnants of Barnum’s past as well as the dilapidated state of the hall itself.  “I remember, before it was refurbished, there were signs that said the basement was a bomb shelter; the basement is solid concrete with steel rebar. In the original hall, there was original carpeting, seat covers [and] light equipment, all from the 40s,” Sakow said. “Historic Barnum Hall” is a multi-faceted building. Tech students wander onto the roof to enter the spotlight room and Running with Speakers, the club in charge of many events in Barnum, is at home in the sound booth. Barnum, while a mundane part of the school, is actually a complex ecosystem on its own.