On the final First Friday of the year, December 4, 2015, Ivy Tech Waldron will host a building centennial celebration from 5 to 8 p.m., complete with an early 1950s fire truck exhibited in the Firebay.
This is the final centennial event celebrating the building’s 100-year birthday. In front of the building, banners have been on display all year marking the milestone, in addition to decals on the walkway between Fountain Square Mall and the Fourth Street Parking Garage.
Ivy Tech Waldron artistic director and dean of the school of fine arts, Paul Daily, says that the downtown arts center is a popular destination for visitors. “The use of the Waldron has increased substantially in our five years in it, proving the need for a community arts center,” he said. “Just looking at First Friday alone, we are on-track to double the number of visitors from 2,725 in 2011 to the 5,148 visitors so far in 2015.”
Ivy Tech and the public celebrated the building’s art history in the spring with a Waldron Arts Awards ceremony and performance. In the summer, the college opened the Waldron Plaza along Fourth Street and had a plaza celebration, which looked on to the next 100 years as a community-centered building. That same day, on June 4, the City celebrated Waldron Building Day.
In the final centennial celebration on Friday, Ivy Tech will look back at 100 years of Waldron as a community building. Exhibits in the Education Gallery will showcase the building’s history as City Hall, a police department, a fire station, home to Bloomington Area Arts Council, and now a community college building with galleries, performance spaces, and classrooms.
The Education Gallery exhibit will be up during the month of December and the public is welcome to visit. The 1950s fire truck will be on exhibit for one day only on Friday, December 4.
On Friday, December 13, WFHB will host Firehouse Follies in the Auditorium, and the show will incorporate the Waldron’s moments in time.
For information about space rental, gallery exhibits, performances and classes at Ivy Tech Waldron, visit www.ivytech.edu/waldron.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, long- and short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns with the needs of the community. The College provides a seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor's degree.
