Plummer Auditorium to Close for Renovations : Remodeling: Closure of the 60-year-old concert hall in ‘91-92 means many performing groups need temporary new homes.

Plummer Auditorium, the North County’s most widely used concert hall, is tentatively scheduled to close for renovation from July, 1991, through May, 1992, according to officials involved with the remodeling project.

The closure will force numerous community and civic groups that use the hall for performing-arts presentations to find temporary new homes for their events.

The 60-year-old auditorium needs air conditioning--it is virtually unusable in summer, officials say--as well as an orchestra pit that can be raised and lowered, an updated sound system, more public restrooms, storage space and other improvements, Terry Galvin, a manager for Fullerton’s Redevelopment Agency, said Thursday.

The renovation stems from a joint agreement between the city--whose redevelopment agency has approved financing for the project, initially budgeted at $1.5 million--and the Fullerton Union High School District, which owns the 1,300-seat auditorium and uses it for school productions.

“The facility is one of the premiere buildings in town and considered a local landmark, so everyone had a concern about preserving it and making it more efficient,” Galvin said.

Officials say the scope and cost of the renovation, under formal negotiation by the city and the school district for three years, are not final.

Ron Hagan, director of Fullerton’s community services, said school district officials are negotiating both factors with McLean and Schultz, the Fullerton architecture firm hired for the project that will draft a final cost estimate and the remodeling plans.

Galvin of the redevelopment agency said the initial budget of $1.5 million was based on a preliminary estimate made two years ago by McLean and Schultz. The agency will decide whether it wants to increase that amount once the final cost estimate is in.

Hagan stressed that precise closing dates for the auditorium at Chapman Avenue and Lemon Street are tentative.

“When we have an idea of what the cost will be and exactly what is to be, we’ll be able to pinpoint a much more accurate calendar,” he said, adding that other elements, such as the structural condition of the auditorium, built in 1930, may prolong the length of time required for renovation.

Hagan also said he has begun to help local groups that use the auditorium seek alternative venues in which to perform during remodeling.

Plummer Auditorium was previously closed in 1967 for structural improvements and was reopened in 1972 after being brought up to state earthquake codes.

Performing-arts events are presented regularly at Plummer by groups ranging from Cal State Fullerton and Fullerton College to Fullerton Civic Light Opera and the Community Concerts Assn. of North Orange County.