The Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center is a performing arts center on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center
The Faulkner Performing Arts Center at the UA.
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Former namesMen's Gymnasium
General information
TypeCollegiate Performing Arts Center
Architectural styleCollegiate Gothic
Address453 N Garland Avenue
Town or cityFayetteville, Arkansas
Elevation1,430 ft (440 m)
Named forJim & Joyce Faulkner
Construction started1936
Renovated2015
OwnerUniversity of Arkansas
Design and construction
Architecture firmHaralson & Nelson, Fort Smith, Arkansas
DeveloperJ.H. Leveck & Son, Little Rock, Arkansas
Website
https://faulkner.uark.edu/
Men's Gymnasium-University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Faulkner Performing Arts Center is located in Arkansas
Faulkner Performing Arts Center
Faulkner Performing Arts Center is located in the United States
Faulkner Performing Arts Center
LocationGarland Ave., Fayetteville, Arkansas
Coordinates36°4′10″N 94°10′33″W / 36.06944°N 94.17583°W / 36.06944; -94.17583
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built1936-37
MPSPublic Schools in the Ozarks MPS
NRHP reference No.92001103[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 4, 1992

Architecture

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The Faulkner Center is a 2+12-story, light buff brick building, trimmed in limestone and built in the Collegiate Gothic style. It is roughly a square building with a gable roof over the majority of the structure, as well as a flat roof with a raised parapet above the front porch. The gable roof has asphalt shingles, while the flat portion is covered with a tar roof.[2] The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Men's Gymnasium

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After fourteen seasons competing in Schmidt Gymnasium, the Razorback basketball team moved into the Men's Gymnasium starting with the 1937–38 season. The gym's capacity of 2,500 nearly doubled the capacity of "Schmidt's Barn."[3] Construction began on the museum in 1936, it was completed before the fall semester of 1937, and it was dedicated on February 4, 1938 in a 53–26 win against TCU. The Razorbacks played their home games in the Men's Gymnasium through the 1954–55 season, after which they moved into Barnhill Arena.[4]

Space Center

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From 2003 to 2006, the building hosted the university's Space Center. The Space Center, founded in 2000, is a partnership of six departments (Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Geosciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics) from four colleges (Fulbright College, Engineering, the Honors College, and the Graduate School). It contains the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Planetary Simulation, which is used primarily for the study of Mars, asteroids, Pluto, and Titan.[5] The center also has an astronomy group, that specializes in galactic evolution, binary stars, and gravity waves, and it has groups interested in planetary astronomy, cosmochemistry, astrobiology, remote sensing, planetary morphology, and space flight instrument development. The center offers two graduate degrees, a PhD and an MS in space and planetary sciences and four concentrations in space and planetary sciences in programs offered by its partnering departments.[6] The Space Center offers courses of research and instruction for undergraduate students and a variety of outreach programs for the public. The center owns a 20-foot planetarium for teaching and outreach, which is currently out of operation. The center also produces a monthly newsletter (Space Notes) and a quarterly publication, Meteorite.[7] The center celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2010. [1]

The center houses the Paragould meteorite, the third largest meteorite from North America, since 1988, except for a short period when it was in the Mullins Library.

Faulkner Performing Arts Center

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On September 5, 2012, it was announced that the building would become a concert hall for the performing arts, thanks in part to a donation of $6 million by Jim and Joyce Faulkner. The renovation was completed in September 2015.

References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Story, Kenneth. "WA0350". ArkansasPreservation.com. Department of Arkansas Heritage. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  3. ^ Beckmann, Robert (October 13, 2006). "The construction of a rich tradition". The Arkansas Traveler. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  4. ^ "About | Faulkner Performing Arts Center | University of Arkansas". faulkner.uark.edu. University of Arkansas. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  5. ^ "W.M. Keck Laboratory for Planetary Simulation." University of Arkansas. About Us. Archived 2012-08-05 at archive.today Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  6. ^ "Graduate Degrees in Space and Planetary Sciences." University of Arkansas. Degrees. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  7. ^ "Meteorite Magazine." University of Arkansas. Magazine Profile. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
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Preceded by Home of Arkansas Razorbacks basketball
1937-1955
Succeeded by