After taking a closer look at the prospect of rehabilitating the seismically unsafe Freeborn Hall, the university has decided the project would be too costly and that the money would be better directed to student services. And so the venerable, 57-year-old hall, once the only auditorium on campus, will be torn down.
The university closed the multipurpose space in 2014 and has been studying Freeborn’s fate since then. Officials looked at multiple options, among them a replacement building; a converted Freeborn, turning it into an open-air pavilion; and a comprehensive renovation, including accessibility upgrades and new building systems to replace those near the end of their lifespans — with costs ranging from $8.5 million for the seismic upgrade alone to $36 million for the full renovation.
As recently as 2017, the university seemed set on renovating Freeborn to serve as a conference and event center. Ultimately, university leadership — in consultation with the ASUCD, Division of Student Affairs, Design and Construction Management, Budget and Institutional Analysis, the campus architect and outside consultants, among others — decided the project was not economically feasible at a time when student services needed the funding.
Demolition including infill of Lower Freeborn, the building’s basement, is expected to cost approximately $5 million and take six months to complete. The start date had not yet been determined.
After the tear-down, the Freeborn site — prime, central campus real estate — will be left open pending possible future development. Meanwhile, the plaza in front of Freeborn Hall and the adjacent Memorial Union is undergoing renovation (new hardscape and landscaping) and expected to reopen in January.
Lower Freeborn
The basement did not close with the rest of the building four years ago because officials declared Lower Freeborn safe for continued occupancy. The occupants — The California Aggie, KDVS, Aggie Studios, The Pantry and other ASUCD units, along with several university administrative offices — will now be relocated on campus. Where the offices will move is under discussion; a plan should be in place by summer 2019, said Emily Galindo, interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs.
Prior to the opening of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in 2002, Freeborn Hall was the primary large-events space on the UC Davis campus. Over the years the hall has hosted concerts, distinguished speakers, fairs, large classes and even the occasional high school prom.
Nevertheless, a historic evaluation of the building concluded that it was not historically significant and did not meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historic Resources. Though campus-owned, Freeborn Hall has long been managed by the Division of Student Affairs.
Today, the campus has other venues suited for mid-size to large events, such as the Conference Center and Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom.
History of Music and More
Freeborn Hall was constructed in 1961 as a multiuse replacement to the campus’ old Recreation Hall, a 1921 wood-shingle building that in its early years did double duty as a gymnasium and a library. When Freeborn Hall opened, it was known as Assembly Hall. It was later renamed to honor UC Davis’ first chancellor, Stanley Freeborn. Over the years, the venue hosted a wide series of events — class lectures, academic conferences, rallies, dances and commencements. During the annual Picnic Day, the Cal Aggie Alumni Association held pancake breakfasts in Freeborn. The hall is perhaps best remembered for its concerts by some of the most popular artists of the time. Joan Baez gave the inaugural concert. Duke Ellington played for $1 a ticket. Other big draws included Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Snoop Dogg and Nine Inch Nails. The last event held in Freeborn was a dance for athletes of the 2014 Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games. Steve Weiss ’86, former director of ASUCD Student Forums and former assistant director and director of University Cultural Programs, told UC Davis Magazine in 2014 that Freeborn presented challenges as a venue. When he first began working there as an undergraduate, the seating in the hall was flat. “If you were back 15 rows, you better hope that nobody tall was in front of you.” Renovations in the late 1980s included the addition of bleacher-style seating and ceiling baffles to improve the acoustics for orchestral music. Limitations remained, but Weiss said Freeborn allowed the university to book top speakers and performing artists — building a regional audience to support the construction of the Mondavi Center. — excerpted from UC Davis Magazine, fall 2014