Hinkle Fieldhouse and the west side of the Butler Bowl as viewed from the football field

Description:	Vehicles are parked near the top of the seating on the west side of the Butler Bowl, as viewed from the football field, while Hinkle Fieldhouse is visible in the background. When the Butler Bowl opened in 1928 (renamed the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl in 2017), it could seat approximately 35,000 people and there was an option to add additional seating for a total capacity of more than 70,000 spectators. By the 1950s the need for such a large stadium was no longer necessary and in 1953, Butler University signed a contract with the city of Indianapolis, allowing them to build an open-air theatre at the southern end of the stadium. Indianapolis leased the land from the University, paid the construction costs, and had control of the theatre from around June 15th to September 1st each year, but it was available for University use at other times. Among other events, spring Commencement was held at the theatre for almost twenty years. Construction started in June 1954 on the approximately $350,000 to $400,000 theatre and roughly 16,000 seats were removed from the south side of the stadium, making way for the new theatre (left). Opening in 1955, the Hilton U. Brown Theatron was named for Hilton U. Brown (Class of 1880, M.A. 1882), President of the Butler University Board of Directors from 1903 to 1955. The structure was renamed the Hilton U. Brown Theatre circa 1963 and from 1955 to 1992 it was the home of Starlight Musicals who produced musicals and concerts each summer. The theatre was demolished in 2005, in preparation for the construction of the Apartment Village. In conjunction with this project, the Butler Bowl field was widened, enabling use by soccer and lacrosse teams, the grass was replaced with artificial turf, the west stands were renovated, and some of the bleachers on the east side of the stadium were removed and replaced with lawn seating. Additionally, 400 parking spaces were added and the Health and Recreation Center (HRC) was constructed on the opposite side of Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Origin:	2005
Source:	http://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/BldgsGrnds/id/2910
Collection:	Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Copyright:	In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Geography:	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 39.844263, -86.165947 39.844263 -86.165947
Subjects:	Sports facilities Football stadiums Field houses Gymnasiums Basketball arenas Automobiles Trees Amphitheaters Theaters Butler University--Buildings Butler University--Buildings, structures, etc. College buildings Butler University--History Indianapolis (Ind.)--History Hinkle Fieldhouse Butler Fieldhouse Hilton U. Brown Theatron Hilton U. Brown Theatre Starlight Musicals Butler Bowl Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl Bleachers Lacrosse goals Fairview campus

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