Jones Hall on the main entrance to Meredith College, to the right of Johnson Hall and in front of Wainwright Music Building. Jones Hall is used for special events on campus, such as convocations, the Alice in Wonderland productions, and the Honor Code ceremonies. It is also the venue for many productions by the music, theater, and dance departments.
When the Meredith College campus moved from its original downtown location in 1926, funds existed only for six permanent buildings that would provide for administration offices, a library, dorm space, an infirmary and a dining hall. All other activities were housed in “temporary” buildings, Following the Great Depression and a 1944 fund-raising campaign, plans were in place for additional buildings, including an auditorium, but with a shortage of building materials, the projects were postponed.
Finally after 2 more fund-raising campaigns and an authorization by the Convention to borrow the remaining funds, as well as alumnae donations that paid for 1044 seats, Jones Hall was dedicated on September 27, 1949, as part of Meredith College’s fiftieth anniversary celebrations.
Jones Hall was named for husband and wife trustees, Wesley Norwood Jones and Sallie Bailey Jones. The hall housed a large auditorium on the main floor, a smaller auditorium downstairs, piano and organ practice rooms, eight studios, offices, a music library, listening room, recording studio, and five classrooms to be used for speech and drama classes. The auditorium also served as a campus chapel, during a time when religious services were mandatory for students.
President Carlyle Campbell and the Board of Trustees pose for a photograph prior to the groundbreaking for the yet unnamed Jones Auditorium in the summer of 1948.
"The exterior is of tapestry brick and the facade primarily of stone." - Alumnae Magazine, October 1949
The alumnae organization raised the money to furnish the auditorium with 1044 "spring-cushioned red seats with backs of natural wood to match the wainscoting on the sides."
In December 1970, the Harry E. Cooper Organ was dedicated with a recital by Harry Cooper himself. Cooper, recently retired, had been chairman of the Music Department for 30 years.
The auditorium in Jones Hall doubled as a campus chapel, during a time when religious services were mandatory for students. Eventually, students envisioned a smaller space to be used for private reflection. In 1965, through the combined efforts of students, Dr. John Hicks (School of Design, NCSU), Leonard White (Art Department, Meredith College) and chaplain Bud Walker, a large, unused storage room in Jones was transformed into a chapel, with shingled walls, pews, and cross designed and cast by Dr. Hicks and placed above a simple shelf altar. Closed for a time when practice space in the building was at a premium, the small chapel was reopened in 1978.
Carlyle Campbell Library
Meredith College
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-760-8532
