Introduction[edit]

The RPI Playhouse building is most notably the home of the RPI Players, a student-run group specializing in performing arts and theatre production [3] [5].

History[edit]

Old Gymnasium[edit]

Beginning in May 1883, students filed a petition for the construction of a suitable gymnasium for their needs. In 1884, once the issue was petitioned for again, a plot of land on the south side of Broadway was purchased by the board of trustees [1].

Upon this land, a two-story brick building trimmed with stone and terracotta was constructed. The building was eighty-feet by forty-feet and cost $20,000 [4]. Half of the funding was contributed by alumni, students, trustees, and Troy residents. The remaining cost was covered by institute funds [1].

The first story of the building had a reception room, a dressing room, showers, and a bowling alley [1]. The second story had a main hall with thirty-feet of floor-to-ceiling space, outfitted with presumably the most current gymnastic equipment for the time [4]. An elevated running track and spectator gallery surrounded this main hall [1].

The building opened March 11, 1887 and was used as a gymnasium until 1912 when the '87 gymnasium opened in November of that year [1] [4].

In 1914 and 1915, the building was rented to the Troy Academy, after which it was left vacant until 1924 when it began being used by the Masonic Order. In 1929, RPI's Dramatic Club (now known as the RPI Players) took over the building and converted it into a theater named the RPI Playhouse [4].

Conversion of the main hall into the four hundred seater Playhouse theater cost $4,000 [1]. The first story of the building was used for dancing until 1934, when that space was turned into an apartment and dressing rooms for the RPI Players [4].

The building was demolished in 1966 [1].

Pictures of the old gymnasium and original RPI Playhouse.

15th Street Lounge[edit]

A former U.S.O. building from Windsor Locks, Connecticut was moved to Rensselaer in 1946. Originally it was acquired by the school to serve as a library extension for study space and social activities [2].

The building was placed along 15th Street and thus became known as the 15th Street Lounge or Lounge 15 [2]. Between 1965-1966, it became the permanent home of the RPI Players. It was shared with WRPI, the Outing Club, and other clubs, as well as a place for religious worship on Sundays [6]. In 1972, this building was renamed the RPI Playhouse [2]. In 1983, major renovation was conducted to add spaces like the costume and scene shops which ended up expanding the footprint of the building [6]. The first performance in the newly renovated playhouse was West Side Story [7]. In total, the RPI Players have been around for 90 seasons and have put on a total of 300 shows to date, producing three mainstage plays a year and contributing to other projects. This building continues to be used to this day.