Elizabeth Leitner Gregory Center
for the Liberal Arts

Commemorative Seat Program
Play your part in staging the future
Show your support or remember someone special

History & Background
In April 2005, Milligan College's Board of Trustees approved plans to build a 30,000 square foot liberal arts center at the college. The center will house a 290-seat theatre for the college's celebrated theatre arts program.

“The arts play a major role in the liberal arts education to which Milligan is committed,” said Milligan President Don Jeanes . “We're excited about this new facility and know that it will further advance our theatre program and serve the entire campus.”

The college's former theatre, Walker Auditorium, was located in Derthick Hall, the college's main classroom facility. The theatre was an old auditorium and very small and limited. So when Derthick Hall was renovated in Summer 2001, the decision was made to remove the old theatre and build a new theatre in the college's next building project. This became the college's number one funding priority and a 5-year timeline was established as the goal. That October, the college unveiled plans for a new Campus Center as part of the Milligan College Campaign for Christian Leadership. The Campus Center was a multi-phase facility including a Student Center and a Theatre. 

The changing economy and a dramatic increase in the cost of building supplies necessitated that the Board of Trustees consider several building options and phases based on available funding. Meanwhile, the Derthick Hall renovation and creation of the Sword Commons projects were completed. And a new tennis facility was constructed, since the campus center would be located near the site of the current courts.

In early 2005, the decision was made to move forward with phase one, which includes the theatre/convocation center. The plans were redrawn so that the additional phases of a campus center facility can be added adjacent to the new theatre building at a later time. Construction on the facility began in 2005 and was a complex process that involved site preparation and infrastructure work, foundation, and construction. The facility is nearing completion and will open for classes in January 2008.
 

The Facility
The new 30,410 square-foot facility includes a 290-seat theatre auditorium and the necessary backstage support, staging, workshop for theatre classes, and darkrooms for photography students. As a convocation center, the auditorium also will be used for the college's Humanities program, academic lecture series, and various campus community events. The facility is located in the center area of campus, between the McMahan Student Center and Hardin Hall, near the old tennis courts.

Click on the images below to see a full size floor plan.

Main Level	Lower Level	Upper Level	Elevation Views

Elizabeth Leitner Gregory
Elizabeth Leitner Gregory was the beloved paternal grandmother of James, John, Joe, Jeff, and Mary Ann Gregory, and Henry Richards. She was born on July 11, 1900, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and died in 1983 in Richmond, Virginia. She was orphaned at 10 years old and grew up with her seven brothers working in the Dan River textile mills in Danville, Virginia. She married James Gregory in 1918 and raised three children, Odell, Lloyd, and Lorene. She moved to Portsmith, Virginia, in 1942 with her family and became a member of Simonsdale Presbyterian Church.

She lived in Richmond, Virginia, in the later years of her life. She was a devoted and loving Christian whose sweetness of spirit, quick smile, and gracious kindness affected everyone she met. She will never be forgotten by her family.

 

Theatre & Fine Arts at Milligan
The college's theatre program has earned regional and national acclaim. Its productions have been featured at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and area partnerships have included the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre, the Barter Theatre, and the East Tennessee State University theatre department. In the past 18 years, the Milligan College Theatre for Young Audiences has toured area schools, performing original productions for more than 175,000 children in our region.

“Milligan not only believes in the art of the spoken and written word, but this area truly represents the vibrancy and spirit of the college itself,” said theatre director and area chair Richard Major. “This will be a very functional facility for our campus and will serve many needs.”

More about theatre and fine arts at Milligan.