Also Known As: C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts; or Rodman.

Named For: Clarence J. Rodman, Class of 1913, Ohio industrialist, who made gifts of securities valued at $525,000 for construction of the building. Benstead Theater was named for Mr. and Mrs. H.M. Benstead, both trustees, and Demmer Recital Hall was named in recognition of the contribution from the Demmer Foundation. A number of other areas are named for people who contributed to the building fund or who made important contributions to the arts at the College. The Kresge Foundation was one of the donors for Rodman.

Location: West of Union Street, south of Congress Street and north of Thorne Street. Rodman is across from the Storzer Physical Education Building.

Cost: $3,000,000.

Date of Construction: Construction began in May 1971. Dedicated October 27, 1972. Class use began in August 30, 1972.

Architect: Shattuck, Siewert and Associates of Neenah.

Present and Former Uses: Rodman has 52,400 square feet of space, housing the Speech, Drama, Art and Music departments. It includes Demmer Recital Hall and Benstead Theater. Sound-proofed practice and listening rooms, a music library and resources room, a multimedia center, a recording booth, art studios, rehearsal and dressing rooms, faculty offices, and classrooms. The lobby serves as an art gallery and has display vaults for two large Van Dyck paintings donated to the College by Mrs. Lillian Rojtman and the Marc B. Rojtman Foundation. In the summer of 1982, a Bedient tracker pipe organ was installed in Demmer Recital Hall.

Note: Marc B. Rojtman pledged the "Portrait of a Young Gentleman (Sir Roger Tonnshend)" to the College in 1965, but the College did not receive the title until 1977. "Portrait of the Princess Amalia of the House of Orange" was on loan to the College for display from early 1977, but the College did not receive title to the painting until 1982.

Note: In the summer of 1982, a tracker organ, built by Gene Bedient and Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, and designed specifically for the space in Demmer Recital Hall was installed. A bequest from Mildred Thiel, former music instructor and administrative secretary at the College, was a prime factor in funding the acquisition of the pipe organ. Donald Spies, Associate Professor of Music, gave the debut performance of the organ on July 28, 1982. The organ was officially dedicated on Homecoming Weekend, October 15, 1982, with a performance by Harold Vogel, director of the West German Organ Academy.

References: Clarence J. Rodman Center for the Arts, September 1972, Brochure (illustrated); College Days, February 19, 1982, p.4; College Relations Release, July 20, 1982.