MIT Kresge Auditorium - Odd-Shaped Buildings on Waymarking.com

Kresge Auditorium stands alone on the western side of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is used for various gatherings, classical and other concerts, and performances needing large audiences.

The building has a perfect, 1/8 sphere roof that touches the ground at three points. A vertical glass wall comes down from the edge of the roof at other points. There is a lobby when you enter the building from the east side, and the auditorium entrances are from there. One of the quirks of a spherical ceiling is that at one end of the auditorium you can hear whispers or noise from the other end. The concert hall seats 1226, while a theatre hall in the lower level seats 204 people.

I'm not completely sure of access within the auditorium when there is no event taking place. There are many concerts and other events that are open to the public - I have been to a few, myself, over the years.

Groundbreaking for the building was done in 1953, and the building was dedicated in 1955. The building is named after Sebastian S. Kresge, who founded Kresge stores and the Kresge Foundation. It is considered an example of "Mid-Century Modern" architecture.

Wikipedia Link:
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Online MIT Campus Map marking the auditorium (Building W16):
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Archiplanet Great Buildings Link:
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Building Address: 48 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA United States 02138 Is it open to the general public?: yes When was it built? (Approximate if you must.): 01/01/1955 What is the name of this building?: Kresge Auditorium

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/08/2013 tipete visited it 10/30/2008 vprygoski wrote comment for it

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