Clowes Memorial Hall, which opened Oct. 18, 1963, was built in memory of the late Dr. George Henry Alexander Clowes, former research director for Eli Lilly & Co., who devoted his life to science and the arts.

Press Release

INDIANAPOLIS - The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation has donated $500,000 to Butler University for repairs to Clowes Memorial Hall.

The $500,000 gift will provide support to the Clowes Infrastructure Fund Project to ensure the physical integrity of the University's 2,100-seat concert hall for years to come. The grant will be used to keep Clowes' various internal systems up-to-date and take advantage of current technology to provide the optimal environment for performers, patrons and staff.

"As Clowes Hall approaches its 50th anniversary, there is critical need for a comprehensive study of the hall's infrastructure - HVAC, plumbing, electrical and fire-detection systems," Clowes Hall Executive Director Elise Kushigian said. "The gift will provide an engineering-based assessment of these systems as well as funding to begin the most urgent tasks identified by the assessment."

The assessment is estimated to cost $150,000 and should be completed within nine months. Butler will identify firms with targeted expertise, some of which are already familiar with Clowes Hall. The master plan will also provide guidance on the most efficient and cost-effective means to implement its recommendations.

This initial phase of upgrading Clowes will be completed in summer 2010 for minimal disruption of University and public events.

Clowes Memorial Hall, which opened Oct. 18, 1963, was built in memory of the late Dr. George Henry Alexander Clowes, former research director for Eli Lilly & Co., who devoted his life to science and the arts. He conceived the idea of a multi-purpose hall to serve Indianapolis and the community as a center for all the entertaining arts. Funds to erect and complete the hall were subscribed by Clowes' family, with his wife, Edith Whitehill Clowes as the principal donor, Butler University and a small circle of friends sharing in George Clowes' devotion to the arts.

Allen Whitehill Clowes, one of George and Edith Clowes' two sons, served on the Butler Board of Trustees for 24 years. He championed the concept of a Butler Performing Arts Complex, consisting of multiple performance venues at the university. The University honored him in August by naming a new performing arts instructional space in his memory, the Allen Whitehill Clowes Pavilion.

Source: Butler University