Community celebrates 100th anniversary of R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium

School officials, community members and alumni gathered outside of the R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium to celebrate its 100th anniversary this week. 

The building is impressive, with large columns outside and marble statues within reminiscent of ancient Greece. It’s also positioned on top of a big hill, overlooking Winston-Salem. 

“Katharine Smith Reynolds, who built the auditorium at her own expense in honor of her late husband, Richard Joshua Reynolds, envisioned the auditorium as providing a worthy setting dedicated to elevating the quality of life in our Winston-Salem community," said Ellen Kutcher, who wrote a book about the building. 

The auditorium has almost 2,000 seats with a mezzanine and a balcony. Over the last century, audiences here have seen performances by symphony orchestras, ballet companies, musicians like Doc Watson and Allison Krauss, and even the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini. 

Shows like these were inspirational for RJR alum Terry Hicks, who went on to spend more than 25 years as the school’s chorus teacher. 

“When I was a child coming here, for me, it was the closest thing to New York City that I could possibly imagine," Hicks said. 

He also said the auditorium has had similar effects on the students who came after him and went on to pursue careers in the performing arts.

“The impact has been enormous and incredible in lives, in our economy, and in the spirit of our place to live and call home," Hicks said. 

After sharing a few words, Hicks led the crowd in singing the R. J. Reynolds alma mater. Then, three current Reynolds students performed “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. 

After the performances outside, the crowd headed into the auditorium to admire the statues, paintings and architecture, and step foot on the historic stage themselves.

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.