Four Spencer residents have been quietly, yet determinedly working behind the scenes for the past year. Martin Arthur, Ann Holck, Sheriffa Jones and Julie Schmidt are hoping their perseverance will pay off for the community.

The four, who've recently begun calling themselves "Friends of the Old Spencer High School Auditorium," or "Friends of the Auditorium" for short, have combined their eclectic forces in an effort to save the old Spencer High School auditorium at 104 E. Fourth St. from the wrecking ball, as well as restore the "gem" to its original historic state and make it a state-of-the-art facility once again.

Their efforts over the last few months, meanwhile, have snowballed from their original mission into a new drive to see fruitful partnerships formed which would amount to a productive reuse of the entire former Spencer Middle School building. It's because of this shift that Arthur, Holck, Jones and Schmidt came to the conclusion recently that now is the time to tell their story and allow their passion to be shared throughout the community.

Photo by Kris Todd Referred to as "Friends of the Old Spencer High School Auditorium," Martin Arthur, Julie Schmidt, Ann Holck and Sheriffa Jones, from left, take time to enjoy the unoccupied school building's historical Art Deco exterior.

The present-day Friends

Schmidt recalled the initial rumblings for this proposed project and its mission stir within her in the spring of 2005.

"Once the new school was built and classes had started there, Martin and I were getting more concerned and anxious about the future of that building, particularly the auditorium," she said. "I had been part of the SPOT: Hancher Family Arts Adventure project, and knew that there were outside artists who were really interested in the auditorium. In fact, Brenda Way, the artistic director of the (Oberlin Dance Company), had stood on that stage when we were previewing what the company would be performing and said, 'When a gem this auditorium is. We've performed in so many long, low modern boxes; and here I stand and see these two balconies and those original light fixtures. An auditorium like this is a performer's dream.'"

Arthur shared he's heard similar sentiments expressed from various artists he's come into contact with in his various roles with the Spencer Area Concert Association, the Spencer Alliance for A Creative Economy and the Spencer Area Arts Council.

He also shares a fondness for the building's auditorium based upon his childhood experiences in it.

"When I moved back to Spencer as an adult, the auditorium was right down the street from me. I found myself wanting to go to a high school play. I hadn't been in it since I was a kid, when they bused us in for high school plays. I remember being excited about that," Arthur reminisced. "When I walked in, it was pretty much the way I had remembered it. It didn't seem diminished; a lot of times when you grow up and go back to see things, they seem smaller. But it was just as thrilling and spectacular to walk through the doors as it was when I was a little kid."

Holck, who's been a resident of Spencer for the last 35 years, suggested she's stayed because of the town's auditorium. She, like Arthur, has received many glowing comments about the building's Art Deco addition built in 1937 as a Public Works Administration project from a multitude of visitors.

"From the beginning of the Arts Council, we've brought events into the auditorium. And upon the closure of each event, we always get the comment, 'This is an amazing performance space,'" Holck shared.

Jones, an Iowa historic preservationist and architectural historian, had an unmistakable interest in preserving the auditorium, as well as keeping its 1912 and 1914 classroom and 1967 gymnasium areas. Since being recruited by Schmidt, Arthur and Holck as a Friend of the Auditorium, she has helped with the group's proposal process, as well as bringing Community Housing Initiatives, Inc. (CHI), a non-profit housing development and consulting group she has previously worked with, into the mix.

"I obviously have an interest in seeing the whole project move forward and to see a really fantastic building so close to downtown Spencer be preserved and used," Jones said. "I've been able to help with the site inventory form through the State Historic Preservation office, which assists Community Housing Initiatives in their funding packages."

Their three-part proposal

"We've done our best to bring in a lot of different experts and ideas," Schmidt said. "Again, we're looking for a reuse for the entire complex."

Among the experts the Friends have brought in and received assistance from while formulating their proposal for the school building are Rick Loula, an Iowa City-based theater consultant; Gary Sanborn, the University of Iowa's audio engineer at Hancher Auditorium; Mike King, the Ames City Auditorium manager; Greg Kooker, a former Cannon Moss Brygger & Associates architectural engineer; Mark Bauermeister, Spencer Community School District's director of operations; Al Schmidt, a local retired contractor; and Doug LaBounty, CHI's president.

While LaBounty is working to create "affordable" housing units on the building's second and third floors, the Friends are offering to help the school district find owners or tenants for its first floor and basement.

"Friends of the Auditorium is proposing that the school district maintain ownership of the auditorium addition for 10 years, and that this non-profit Friends of the Old Spencer High School Auditorium would then apply for grants and do fundraising activities to restore and update different aspects of the auditorium," Schmidt said of their proposal's third component and the non-profit organization she, Arthur, Holck and Jones are in the midst of forming.

"We're reviewing a draft of the paperwork for the articles of incorporation," Schmidt stated. "So that is under way. We are now waiting for a more formal agreement with the school to proceed on the 501(c)(3) application."

"So that we can apply for grants," added Holck. "There are certain grants that will not fund public buildings like schools and churches. But, with this 501(c)(3) specifically for the auditorium, we feel that we can tap into funds for the upkeep and restoration of the auditorium."

"Additionally," Jones continued, "there are grants out there for buildings listed on the National Register. There are times where it does require a cash and/or in-kind match, and many times it's best for non-profit groups than it is for government-associated agencies. So, Friends of the Auditorium could acquire one of these grants and have less cash upfront for a project than a school would."

Auditorium-specific improvements being proposed

The four Friends, who have thus far presented two proposals to Spencer school representatives, are still awaiting a formal response.

"At this point, the school district is concentrating on meeting the Nov. 1 deadline for CHI," Holck explained. "We'll have some breathing time between Nov. 1 and when CHI finds out in March whether they get the grant or not for the second and third floor. Then we can work out a plan."

"But our group, along with (Superintendent) Greg Ebeling, is proceeding with trying to find more specific numbers on some of the things we want to do with the auditorium so that we all are on the same page. Our plan is the school board will have those numbers in hand and we'll know those numbers for fundraising," Schmidt added. "But initially, we just wanted a little bit of help from the school to make some changes that would free up the stage for other small venues. Working along with the school's schedule, of course, would be the top priority."

According to Arthur, another goal of the group is to eventually air condition the auditorium area, making it usable year-round and allowing the community to be able to expand its educational programming eventually offered within the building.

The Friends of the Auditorium's latest proposal also outlines it would like to install an electronically-controlled stage extension and possibly update the auditorium's lighting and sound systems, as well as see to the historic restoration of its interior elements, including side drapery panels and seating.

Additional possibilities undertaken by the Friends may include the restoration of the original concession area to the west of the school building's main lobby, updates to the classroom spaces in the 1937 auditorium addition, the addition of a "black box theater space" and the pursuit of a mezzanine and restroom area behind the first-balcony seating on the building's second floor.

Looking forward to the next step

The sooner Schmidt, Jones, Holck and Arthur can work out an agreement with the school district, the sooner they can start fundraising.

"Once we have a 501(c)(3), we can start working on grants right away," Arthur said. "Because we need to prioritize things that need to be done, we're working on getting a preliminary study done right now that will tell us what needs to be done and the order it should be done in. That will help us get some dollar figures in place, as well as some plans or drawings that we could then use to assist us in applying for a grant."

With more accurate financial needs detailed, a fundraising plan would follow. Schmidt ensured part of this plan would include forming an endowment to address issues such as facility maintenance, improvements and unexpected situations.

"We'd like to open this up to the community for support now, and have people come forth and help with the goals of the project and be a Friend of the Auditorium," Holck said. "We'd really like to get to the point where we can eventually open it up and recruit Friends, but right now we feel like we can't go much further without signing an agreement or a partnership with the school."

"We hope the community can embrace this idea of a partnership with the school, the Friends of the Auditorium group and CHI," Schmidt said. "A partnership like this might be the way to accomplish some goals."

"Much better than we could accomplish separately," added Holck.

• For more information on the Friends of the Old Spencer High School Auditorium's goals, or to volunteer your time and efforts, contact Arthur at 262-4500, Holck at 262-7670, Jones at 262-2083 or Schmidt at 580-7084.