Name: Macky Auditorium
Year Built: Construction began in 1909 and finishedÌýinÌý1922.ÌýThe inaugural concert took placeÌýMay 19, 1923.
Architect: Gove & Walsh of Denver
Today:ÌýMacky remains CU Boulder's biggest and most glamorous indoor concert hall.ÌýÂ鶹ÒùÔº and faculty from the College of Music’s band, orchestra, opera and jazz programs perform there, as wellÌýas visiting artists hosted byÌýCU Presents and a who's-who of guest speakers.ÌýEleanor Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, Yo-Yo Ma, Jane Goodall, Robin Williams, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Antonin Scalia, Sonia Sotomayor, Buzz Aldrin and Anderson Cooper, among many others, have all appeared on the Macky stage.
Once Upon a Time: When Andrew J. Macky, gold rush settler and founding director of the First National Bank in Boulder, died in 1907, he bequeathed $300,000 to CU to build an auditorium. Legal tussles withÌýMacky’s adopted daughter, May, led to construction delays, andÌýthe building took 13 years to complete. In 1922, CU’s Board of Regents appropriated $20,000 forÌýa pipe organ.
Did You Know: In 1971, several hundred students attempted to crash a sold-out Neil Young concert, breaking the glass in the foyer doors, and fighting off police armed with fire hoses.
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Information and historic photos courtesy of CUÌýHeritage Center; Interior photoÌýbyÌýGlenn Asakawa/University of Colorado Boulder