DeBaun Auditorium receives historic preservation award
HOBOKEN, N.J. — Stevens Institute of Technology’s recently restored Grace E. and Kenneth W. DeBaun Auditorium has received one of the New Jersey Office of Historic Preservation’s top awards for historic preservation. The award acknowledges the restoration as a significant contribution to the state’s historic resources.The Debaun Auditorium restoration, completed in 1998, returned the centerpiece of Stevens’ Edwin A. Stevens Hall to its former Victorian glory. Edwin A. Stevens Hall is the institute’s original academic building, designed in 1871 by Richard Upjohn, famous for the design of Trinity Church in New York City.
Representatives from Stevens as well as the architectural and contracting firms responsible for the DeBaun Auditorium renovation were on hand for the Jersey Office of Historic Preservation’s 10th anniversary awards ceremony this spring in Trenton.
The auditorium’s nearly $2.2 million restoration included the removal of all non-original construction and repair, and restoration of damaged and missing details. All of the original wood trusses as well as the rest of the auditorium were painted in Victorian era colors. In addition to the restoration, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, a new proscenium, new stage rigging and lighting, updated seating for nearly 500 patrons and handicap accessibility accommodations were installed.
The state award was presented to Stevens Institute of Technology; Gerald Gurland FAIA Architect of West Orange, N.J.; Dean Marchetto AIA & Associates Architects of Hoboken, N.J.; Del-Sano Contracting Corporation of Newark, N.J.; and Grace E. and Kenneth W. DeBaun, of Santa Rosa, Calif., the benefactors for whom the auditorium is named. John Maso, senior facilities manager for Stevens’ Physical Plant and an instrumental partner in the renovation, accepted the award for Stevens.
DeBaun Auditorium is located on the 55-acre campus of Stevens Institute of Technology, located in Hoboken, a short walk north of the PATH/NJ Transit Station. For more information on the history, current productions, and ticket information for the DeBaun Auditorium, please visit www.debaun.org (see "facilities" at this web site for views of the renovated auditorium) or call David Zimmerman, managing director, at (201) 216-8960.
Today DeBaun Auditorium presents a variety of music and theater programs year-round, along with seminars and cultural programs. It also serves as a cultural center by providing theatrical development programs. For example, Shakespearean acting techniques and modern playwriting seminars are currently offered.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University TM , lives at the intersection of industry, academics and research. The University's students, faculty and partners leverage their collective real-world experience and culture of innovation, research and entrepreneurship to confront global challenges in engineering, science, systems and technology management.
Based in Hoboken, N.J. and with a location in Washington, D.C., Stevens offers baccalaureate, master’s, certificates and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences and management, in addition to baccalaureate degrees in business and liberal arts. Stevens has been recognized by both the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Excellence in the areas of systems engineering and port security research. The University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with almost 450 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America as well as strategic partnerships with industry leaders, governments and other universities around the world. Additional information may be obtained at www.stevens.edu and www.stevens.edu/press.
