Farwell to the PAC
To learn more about the history of the Gymnasium, the PAC, and plans for The Center for the Creative Arts and Technology, click READ MORE.
As part of our ongoing efforts to support Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, Hackley’s strategic plan and create “opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching and learning,” Hackley is reimagining how to connect the visual arts, performing arts, and computer science departments in a new Center for the Creative Arts and Technology. The creative arts have always been a prominent feature of Hackley’s educational programming. Through much of Hackley’s history, performances have been held in many locations throughout the Hilltop—from Goodhue Memorial Hall to King Chapel to the Performing Arts Center, fondly known as the PAC, in the former gymnasium.
The new Center for the Creative Arts and Technology brings together the visual and performing arts with computer science to explore creativity in its many forms. To learn more, please visit the Center’s page on Hackley’s website. To make room for the new facility, Hackley will say goodbye to the PAC later this Spring. This building has played an important role in the lives of our students, faculty, and alumni, so let’s take a trip down memory lane and share our fondest memories. Please email alumni@hackleyschool.org and let us know your favorite stories. Below are some milestones that are worth noting:
- The current Performing Arts Center was originally built as a gymnasium in 1908 and featured the first indoor swimming pool at a private school nationwide and a basketball court with an indoor track on the top floor.
- In the mid 1960’s, the Allen Pool opened in the area beneath Akin Common (in the back of the PAC). The pool closed in 2018 when the Johnson Center for Health and Wellness opened.
- With the completion of the Thomas E. Zetkov Athletic Center in 1974, the gymnasium fell into disrepair. Ten years later, a $75,000 renovation revived the space transforming it into a new multi-functional performing arts space that we now know as the PAC.
- The new space was designed by former assistant headmaster David Bridges, who had a theater arts degree from Middlebury College.
- The first stage of the transformation from the Athletic Center to the PAC, took place in the mid-80’s. The old basketball court became a theater and stage, lights hung from the original track, and proscenium curtains were added.
- The exterior of the PAC was completely refurbished as part of the Campaign for Hackley, and an interior ticket booth was added at the base of the stairs leading to the new theater on the second floor.
- In 1993, additional renovations took place to officially centralize performing arts at Hackley into one building as the arts were becoming more and more popular.
We will continue to share more information about the Center for the Creative Arts and Technology in the near future. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing your recollections and we hope you are as excited as we are to create new experiences here on our beloved Hilltop!
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