The University of Iowa’s largest flood recovery project is almost ready for the public. Hancher Auditorium was wrecked in the 2008 floods. Rising water from the Iowa River ruined the electrical and mechanical systems of the performing arts building. Eight inches of water reached the stage to the facility, which was built in 1972. Now, after a $176 million reconstruction project, the public will get its first look inside of the building.
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Iowa Now - Monday, August 29, 2016
Bill Dawkins waited eight years for this day. On June 1, he walked into the new Hancher Auditorium on the University of Iowa campus and studied the performing arts venue with the eye of a man now responsible for helping keep the 192,000-square-foot facility spotless.
He noticed the stainless steel elevators, aluminum railings, bare floors, white walls, and glass—lots of glass.
“I was in awe,” Dawkins says. “It was so big and so stainless and so white. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, how will we keep this place clean?’"
Iowa Now - Wednesday, August 24, 2016
New buildings:
Dedications and open houses are scheduled for new additions to the UI campus: Hancher Auditorium on Sept. 9; the Visual Arts Building on Oct. 7; and the Voxman Music Building on Oct. 21. The new UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital will celebrate its dedication on Nov. 11. In addition, the new College of Engineering annex and College of Pharmacy building will break ground this fall, on Aug. 26 and Sept. 29, respectively.
Inspire - Tuesday, August 9, 2016
The University of Iowa's new Hancher Auditorium was officially dedicated Friday, Sept. 9. The celebration program, hosted by Lynette Marshall, president and chief executive officer of the UI Foundation, included performances by Iowa City natives Rinde Eckert and Conor Hanick, and the Community Mass Choir under the direction of Barbara Haack, and remarks from the honorable Terry Branstad, governor of the state of Iowa; UI President Bruce Harreld; Beth Freeman, regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Hancher Auditorium benefactors Dick and Mary Jo Stanley; UI alumnus and former Hancher performer Julius Carter; and Chuck Swanson, executive director of Hancher.
Little Village - Monday, August 1, 2016
At long last, Hancher is back and they’ve unveiled a killer list of events for the 2016-17 season — the highlight for many being the irreverent Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. Those tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m.
The Gazette - Tuesday, July 26, 2016
After being moved by a musical performance at Hancher Auditorium, you might be moved to buy a necklace with a piano pendant to remember the experience. At least that’s the hope of Jane Downer, a longtime buyer for the Hancher Auditorium Showcase.
Benzinga - Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Emerging from historic 2008 floods that devastated much of the arts campus at the University of Iowa, a new Hancher Auditorium and Voxman Music Building are near completion on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. Mortenson Construction acted as Construction Manager for both replacement facilities, which will open to the public later this summer, with students expected to start classes and performances at the venues this fall.
The Gazette - Thursday, July 7, 2016
Sewing machines hum inside the Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville as inmates focus on the day’s work — taking 18 pieces of soft, smooth wool and turning them into uniform jackets. As thread from 3-inch-tall spools is spun into the fabric, the black-with-green-trim and green-with-black-trim blazers begin to take shape. Come September, they’ll be worn by the ushers at the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium.
KGAN - Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Behind the walls of the Iowa Prison Industries building in Mitchellville, it might resemble a clothing manufacturing company. That's because the inmates from the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women who are involved with IPI are sewing brand new uniforms ushers will wear at the new Hancher Auditorium.
When the University of Iowa’s Hancher auditorium was devastated by the historic flooding of 2008, it was the beginning of an eight-year road to recovery that will culminate this fall in its grand re-opening. In the process, a new building was sited, designed, built and funded by the efforts of countless individuals.
For Chuck Swanson, the executive director of Hancher, it was a journey that proved the resiliency the center’s legacy, as well as the people who make it work.