UT's Hogg Memorial Auditorium reopens after $28 million renovation

What do Texas icons Brené Brown, Wes Anderson and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have in common? A recently renovated auditorium in the heart of the University of Texas’ Forty Acres.

The 90-year-old Hogg Memorial Auditorium was reopened this month after a $27.8 million renovation. Designed by the same architect as the iconic UT Tower and Texas Union, the auditorium sits on Inner Campus Drive with 1,007 new seats beckoning to be filled.

Anderson, a filmmaker and UT alum, was a projectionist at Hogg. Brown filmed her HBO Max series “Atlas of the Heart” at the theater in 2021 after seats were cleared for the renovation, and Ramaswamy spoke there this October when student interest for his event demanded a larger space.

Now, students are set to create new memories in the space.

James Buckley — director of facilities and operations for University Unions in the Division of Student Affairs that led the renovation and manages the facility — said the 2021 renovation centered on infrastructure improvements. A 2015 renovation dealt with more electrical and technical needs.

Now, everything from dressing rooms to lighting, the lobby, sound and seats has been updated. In the new space, an orange longhorn decorates the aisle seat of every row. Sound carries swiftly through the freshly painted room, “rock and roll lights” swivel above and black-out curtains line new windows.

Important accessibility updates were also made, including more Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant seats and a new elevator to the stage.

Buckley said priority is given to student organizations for using the venue. Twenty-five student employees work on the events, getting hands-on experience they could later apply to careers in theater.

“It serves the campus community,” Buckley said. “The events and programs that occur in Hogg really enhance the college experience … and play a big part in creating those memories and connections that students in particular develop during their undergraduate events.”

For Buckley, his favorite parts are simpler changes that fundamentally change the patrons’ experience. In the past, restroom stalls had “Do not flush during performances” signs. Now, the bathrooms are soundproofed, expanded, accessible and gender inclusive. The roof was also redone, erasing the need for the trash cans that once captured rain under the balcony during particularly wet periods.

Sustainability improvements have also been made, and the building has applied for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Claudette Campbell, director of operations for the Texas Union and Hogg Memorial Auditorium, said the planning for the renovations began in 2017.

The building retains some of the auditorium’s original features, such as exit signs and tiles that decorate the portals. Campbell described the place as “very mythological.” Stone faces on the outside represent the three types of Greek plays — tragedy, comedy and satyr — and tiles with the zodiac symbols line the balcony.

Community input helped shape the venue’s new stylistic additions. Campbell described making countless little decisions with the project manager, from the royal blue color of the seats to the bathroom’s toilet paper holders.

“It was like building a big house,” she said. “It was just really neat and exciting. This place will outlive any of us.”

The venue also fills a practical niche on campus. Seating 1,007 people, it is larger than other venues but not as large as Bass Concert Hall, Campbell said. A performance last Friday by Gary Clark Jr. was supposed to be the first event, but two events were held in the auditorium due to last-minute demand.

In addition to being a venue for performers, it is also a place where students can have commencement ceremonies, take finals or host their own events. Campbell said about 60% of events are held by student groups.

According to a UT News press release, student leaders initiated the renovation process with Division of Student Affairs leadership in 2011 and worked to fund and plan it. Adrian Tristan, a third-year student at UT and the administrative director for the Student Government, said multiple student administrations have planned and hoped for the renovated space.

“We’re so excited,” Tristan said. “We just recognize the potential that this space has again to pursue different initiatives and events and with a greater goal of engaging more with the student body and ensuring that the space is utilized to its fullest extent.”

Tristan said the Student Government hopes to host candidate forums where students can share issues that are important to them and student legislators can share what they’re working on.

On Friday, a private ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at the auditorium to mark its official opening. In the weeks after that, the venue will host events by the UT dance team, comedian Ralph Barbosa and a screening of “Asteroid City.”

Buckley said the Hogg Memorial Auditorium is a place filled with potential — a place to be proud of.

“The UT slogan is ‘What starts here changes the world’ — well, that should be everything. And here it is,” he said. “For this moment in time, we are cutting-edge, state-of-the-art everything and we can be proud to show it off.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT's Hogg Memorial Auditorium reopens after $28 million renovation