Welcome to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The Krannert Center is a unique place that is special in all characteristics. It, in its entirety, is important from each individual brick that it is constructed with up to the overall concept that it presents. It is a result of not only the financial gift of Herman and Ellnora Krannert but also their own vision. It is one of the finest performing arts centers in the world and most likely the finest that is affiliated with an institution of learning. The Krannert Center is often compared to Lincoln Center in New York and Kennedy Center in Washington D. C.
Upon entering the main lobby, one will encounter a vast space. Looking around, you can see entrances to Tryon Festival Theater, Foellinger Great Hall, Colwell Playhouse, and the Studio Theater. You can also see the Promenade gift shop, Interlude Lounge, the Intermezzo cafe, and the Ticket Office. The main lobby is also the only area in the Center with access to all theaters.
Although this space is of a grand nature, it is not designed to intimidate patrons. The space is designed to comfortably accommodate up to 4,000 people. This is the approximate capacity of all four interior theaters combined. There are not always four shows going on in the same night but this does happen. More often that not, however, there is more than one performance going on during any given night. The Krannerts wanted people to be able to come out of different performances into the lobby during intermissions or after performances and be able to mingle.
Some of the immediately noticeable interesting features of the lobby include the floor and the ceiling. The entire floor of the lobby is made of teakwood. Teakwood comes from Thailand.. It is now on the endangered species list and can no longer be brought into the Untied States. This floor was actually the entire shipment of teakwood allotted to the United Sates in the year 1968. The floor itself cost over 1 million dollars at the time. There is enough teakwood on the floor to cover 1.5 acres which is equal to the size of 9 tennis courts. The pattern of the floor was chosen by Mrs. Krannert. It resembles the way that the land in central Illinois looks when flying overhead in a plane. The ceiling is made of perforated aluminum that is joined with a layer of fiberglass. This helps to keep the sound to a reasonable level when there are a large number of people in the lobby. The marble walls seen around the lobby are made of Carrera marble. This marble comes from quarries in Carrera, Italy. The Krannerts sent a stone mason to Carrera and he waited there for 6 months for the stone to be quarried to a level that he liked. The stones were then cut into one inch thick slabs. They were brought to Illinois and hung on the wall to create the butterfly pattern that is seen. These are the same quarries that Michelangelo used to get the marble for all of his sculptures. The wall across from the Colwell Playhouse also denotes the Dedication of the Krannert Center in gold leaf.
From the lobby, there are three carpeted staircases that lead to the sublobbies of the Playhouse, Festival, and Great Hall. The wall outside of each of the theaters in the sublobby are covered with birch strips lined with fiberglass backing to once again keep the noise level to a minimum. There are also another four staircases that are not carpeted. These are made of Italian Dotticino terrazzo. These staircases lead to the lower levels of the Center. There are also two elevators. These are not, however, traditional elevators. These are actually hydraulic lifts. This eliminates the need for elevator towers on top of the building and also reduces the amount of sound that they produce. The north lift is designed to fit a grand piano and the south an upright piano.
Picture of the Krannert Center lobby looking toward Interlude Lounge and Intermezzo cafe.