Pease Auditorium is a concert hall on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The auditorium was dedicated in 1915 in memory of music professor Frederic H.

Venue: Pease Auditorium
Address: 494 College Place, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Town: Ypsilanti, US

Pease Auditorium is a concert hall on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The auditorium was dedicated in 1915 in memory of music professor Frederic H. Pease, at the institution then known as the Michigan State Normal College, and is the fourth-oldest building on the EMU campus. Pease Auditorium is in the Neoclassical Revival architectural style, and was designed by the Detroit-based firm Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls. The auditorium's 1500-seat capacity and excellent acoustics contribute to its reputation as a premier music venue, presenting the performances of the Eastern Michigan University Department of Music and Dance. Pease Auditorium was built to accommodate a large pipe organ, but no such organ was fitted when the auditorium opened. An 81-rank Aeolian-Skinner organ was installed in the early 1960s, and was fully restored in the late 1990s. Pease Auditorium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and a major renovation and addition program concluded in 2001. In the early 20th century, the Michigan State Normal College was thriving. The institution that would become Eastern Michigan University was founded as the Michigan State Normal School in 1849, and became the Michigan State Normal College in 1899 with the introduction of four-year academic programs. With the growth of the institution, the Conservatory of Music's quarters in the former Training School building were becoming cramped. Two successive university presidents advocated for the construction of an auditorium, and the necessary funds were raised during the term of Charles McKenny. Pease Auditorium was constructed at a cost of $159,000, equivalent to $3.6 million in 2024. The auditorium was initially planned to be named after John D. Pierce, the first Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ypsilanti residents objected during the construction, and petitioned to change the building's namesake to music professor Frederic H. Pease, who died sudd