Oregon daily emerald
arts & entertainment
What is W.O.W. Hall?
Chronicle of an arts center in an arts city
r
%jfohn Pincus was moving while he was standing still.
The coordinator-producer-bookkeeper-manager
general organizer of the W.O. W. Hall was preparing foi
a ‘‘Shelia and the Boogiemen” show on a recent night.
He didn’t have much spare time, but was
wholeheartedly accomodating in the interest of the
hall. 1 followed him around the 50-year-old building as
he started up the barkdust boiler in the basement.
The building was dark, few people were there. But in
a few hours the hall would reverberate with dancing,
laughing people — a common happening at W.O.W.
Hall, also known as The Community Center for the Per
forming Arts.
Standing behind this entertainment scene are
numerous hard-working and dedicated people, like
Pincus, who have met with many threatening crises to
their beloved W.O.W. Hall.
Story by Shannon Kelley
Photo by Michael Clapp
W.O.W. stands for Woodmen of the World, a frater
nal group similar to the Elks, with overtones of a labor
organization. The Woodmen of the World became a
strong labor force in the early 1900s.
By 1920 they were a powerful group in the Eugene
area. In 1932 to meet the needs of the growing organiza
tion, the existing W.O.W. Hall was built on the corner
of 8th Avenue and Lincoln Street. At that time, the
building was used for Boy Scout activities, dances, con
certs and theater on a small scale.
In the early 1970s, the Woodmen of the World started
to decline. The building was then leased by Bill
Mulholland to several different groups, including the
Oregon Repertory Theatre in coordination with the Free
University that was initiated by Cindy Wooten and Bill
Wooten.
But Mulholland found that he couldn’t afford the
building. After two years, the lease was turned over to
- Oregon Daily Emerald
the New Globe Repertory Theatre. Theater and dance
blossomed in the hall.
It became clear that the hall could not continue finan
cially under the chaotic management. Pincus describes
this period as “disorganized and incoherent.” But it
was also the birth of a new W.O.W. Hall.
Many people thought the historical building should
be demolished and the site used as a parking lot.
However, another group of concerned people — per
formers and others who used the hall — felt the
building should be preserved. They formed the Com
mittee to Secure a Westside Community Center for the
Performing Arts.
Their goals were numerous: to prevent the demoli
tion of the W.O.W. Hall: to ensure that it was preserved
in a historical manner; to find a way to prevent it from
passing out of community access and operate the
building so that it was convenient to the people who us
ed it.
In 1975, Mulholland agreed that the community
could buy the building if they gave him $10,000 for a
downpayment in the next 16 days. In WOWATHON, a
marathon fundraiser featuring local talent, the money
was raised in five days.
The new W.O.W. Hall was born, and it was the com
munity’s; but all was not perfect. There was no
operating capital, and people had to volunteer their
time to get it going again. Money was acquired from the
Eugene Arts Foundation and other groups.
A membership program was established. Members
contribute $10 per year or 10 hours of work per week.
Membership has fluctuated from 150 to 400 per year.
New bylaws were established to ensure that the
organization was run democratically; in addition a
board of directors was established to make policy deci
sions. Goals were set.
“One of our goals is to ensure that all acts here are ac
cessible to all income groups,” said Pincas. “We try to
keep our ticket prices as low as possible.”
Response was positive; the W.O.W. Hall gradually
returned to solid ground. Employees began getting
paid, though the salary was low and not always
assured.
The hall became a spawning ground for new local
groups.
“Almost ail local bands got their start at the W.O.W.
Hall,” says Pincus.
The diversity of talent — dancing, theater and music,
including everything from reggae, rock, folk, classical,
punk and more — appealed to a large audience.
The $1 .OOO-per-month mortgage was the only re
maining major burden. In 1981-82, the W.O.W. Hall
faced a crucial financial crisis when, under the Reagan
administration, the jobs program CETA was
terminated.
Carol Caulk, the current director, advised the closure
of the hall. They faced a $50,000 debt and a $1,000 mor
tgage. The building badly needed repair as well. For six
months the employees worked with no pay.
However, fortune struck when the members landed a
second fundraiser, earning $16,000 in the first three
months and $25,000 in the next two years.
By September 24, 1983 they had paid their mortgage.
A mortgage-burning ceremony marked their new
freedom.
The hall has rapidly improved in the past few years,
says Pincas. The attendance has increased, as has the
income from operations. The building has been
remodeled, and more plans for expansion and renova
tion are hanging... in the form of blueprints on the
wall.
The people behind the scene still work hard for very
little pay to keep the W.O.W. Hall strong. But the bulk
of the crises are over for now, and optimism reigns on
8th and Lincoln... at the Community Center for the
Performing Arts.
lri t
October 19, 1984