East Hall open house June 28

An open house will be held from 3-5 p.m., Thursday, June 28, to showcase the transformation of East Hall, located on the corner of Delaware Avenue and Academy Street.

The facility, originally the Newark Armory, is now home to the Office of Information Technology's University Media Services (UMS) and. the Office of Public Relations' Creative Services Group.

Members of the campus community are invited to tour the building and learn from staff members of the projects handled there. Refreshments will be served.

The $2.5 million renovation added infrastructure and amenities needed for sophisticated creative design, production and technical work to support the University's use of print and non-print media for instruction, research and development, as well as public relations.

University Media Services occupies the basement and first floors, with much of the first floor devoted to a television studio, control room and video-editing suites. The television studio features an electronic lighting control system, digital cameras and digital recorders. A routing switcher allows the distribution of audio and video signals to and from the control room, editing suites and video producer offices for off-line work.

The first floor also contains an electronics repair shop, a conference room, and office space for the video production staff and manager as well as other UMS support staff.

The basement level houses a library of videotapes produced by the video production and instructional television units of UMS. High-density shelving has reduced tape storage space by 60 percent. The lower level also houses a general purpose AV repair shop, storage for the events unit's portable sound equipment and other back-up equipment to support classroom needs. The loading area has been relocated from Academy Street to the rear of the building for safer access.

A customer service desk on the lower level is the primary point of phone and personal contact for faculty and staff requesting assistance, reporting problems and obtaining keys to the AV cabinets located in classrooms.

East Hall is connected to the full University electronic networking capability for both video and data including satellite, ISDN and web streaming technology.

The Office of Public Relations' Creative Services Group is housed on the second floor with office and workspace for art directors, graphic designers and the Assistant Director for Creative Services. The professionals there offer a wide range of creative and design services in support of such campus publications as UpDate, The Messenger and Special Delivery as well as advertising campaigns, special promotions, displays and web design.

At one time, the basement of East Hall contained a rifle range. Long-term Newark residents can recall attending dances in the armory's gymnasium on the first floor in the 1950s.

The University acquired East Hall in 1960. The gymnasium space was converted to a television studio, master control room and AV repair shop. The basement housed a film library and equipment storage.

The most recent renovation, which began in December 1999, included gutting the building's interior of everything but the floors. The new floor plan bears little resemblance to the old, but the familiar double-door main entrance still faces Delaware Avenue.

Photo by MONNIE GIVENS