Aug. 20, 2014: The Bronxville school auditorium, in the midst of a complete renovation, has moved from being a demolition site to a reconstruction site. With the installation of the steel structure of the balcony at the back of the auditorium and the two side balconies, the shape of the auditorium is emerging.

Dan Carlin, assistant superintendent for business, noted that the $10 million project is on budget and on time with a target completion date set for February 2015, after winter break. He estimates that approximately $4.5 million of the cost will be bonded and paid over 20 years, as approved by Bronxville voters in the October 2012 referendum. Private donations and funding through The Bronxville School Foundation will provide the remaining $5.5 million cost of the reconstruction.

“It’s an amazing transformation,” Carlin said. “Standing on the stage really gives the impression of how the auditorium will look when it all comes together.”

Carlin anticipates that concrete for the balcony will be poured within the next few weeks. He pointed out the side balconies will still allow light to come through the side windows.

Steel ceiling beams have been installed and insulation is being installed between the ceiling and the roof. Carlin stated that is the first time the auditorium roof has been insulated. Remaining interior structural work includes refurbishment of the stage area, and pouring the concrete for the auditorium floor. The new auditorium floor will have a higher slope than the previous floor.

On the building’s exterior, framing is in place for the new lobby entrance to the auditorium and masonry work will begin soon. This new addition to the building will face the school lawn. “The lobby will change the dynamic of the front lawn,” Carlin said. “It will make a shift away from the front door and move focus over toward this new, inviting space.”

Carlin described some of the “surprises” discovered during the auditorium’s demolition phase. When crews took down a wall at the back of the stage, their work revealed a structural brick wall, an exterior wall of the original building complete with a tall, three-paneled window. Most of the windows panes remain intact and brass handles are still attached to the bottom of each sash.

Demolition crews also found six layers of flooring on the auditorium floor. “When you start taking apart a building approaching one hundred years old,” Carlin said, “you find all kinds of things.” The stage area sits in one of the oldest sections of the building.

As for the graffiti memorabilia painted on the backstage walls by drama students to mark productions, Carlin said it will most likely be painted over. He noted, however, that it has been photographed for posterity.

Commenting that the auditorium already looks “fantastic” midway through construction, Carlin stated that when completed, “It will be a gem.”

Pictured here: 

Pictured here:  The Bronxville High School auditorium under construction.

Photo by A. Warner