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History

The Krannerts

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts was made possible by the vision and the generous gift of Herman and Ellnora Krannert. A native of Chicago, Mr. Krannert was a 1912 graduate of the University of Illinois and founder and chairman of Inland Container Corporation. Mrs. Krannert was a native of Indiana and a graduate of Brenau College in Gainesville, Georgia.

In 1962, Mr. and Mrs. Krannert offered to make a major contribution to the University of Illinois, choosing as a project the construction of a performing arts center. Commenting on their gift, Mr. Krannert said, "For many years, Mrs. Krannert and I have had a major interest in the University, and we feel it is a privilege to contribute to my alma mater to enlarge and to improve the cultural facilities for future students. We chose the center for the performing arts because we are convinced that education through participation in culture is one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences people can enjoy -- and, in these complex times, a most needed one."

In February 1963, a faculty and student committee was appointed to study the needs of a campus performing arts complex. The committee reported a need for the centralization of the performing arts on campus, which were located in several buildings: Smith Memorial Hall, Lincoln Hall, and various gymnasiums (dance was a unit of the College of Physical Education).

In September 1963, Max Abramovitz, an Illinois graduate, was chosen as architect, Jo Mielziner as theatre consultant, and Cyril Harris as acoustician for the project. The final model called for four indoor theatres and an outdoor amphitheatre interconnected by a lobby and support areas. It took almost two years for the University to acquire the two square blocks of land where Krannert Center stands, and groundbreaking took place in August 1966. During that time additional funds for construction were raised from private donations through the University of Illinois Foundation. The final cost of the building was approximately $21 million.

Krannert Center opened in April 1969 with a month-long Dedication Festival, drawing high praise from critics around the country. The New York Times called the facility "one of the most ingeniously worked out art complexes anywhere," and the Christian Science Monitor noted that "the performing arts now have a home equal to the gilded science-palaces that adorn other campuses."

Krannert Center's costume vaults hold some 75,000 originally constructed, hanging costume pieces stored according to a timeline. There also are closets filled with hats and shoes, and dozens of cupboards full of scarves, belts, ties, jewelry, and other accessories.