R J Reynolds High School Auditorium

Reynolds Auditorium

March 28, 2013 , 0 Nicky Smith

Opened: 1924 Seating: 2,000

R J Reynolds High School Auditorium

With its three-tiered seating, customized concert shell, and majestic grand lobby, Reynolds Auditorium boasts some of the most jaw-dropping scenery of any high-school auditorium, anywhere. “I’d put our auditorium up against any other high school in the country,” says Art Paschal, Reynolds High School principal.

Like most of Winston-Salem’s iconic structures, the auditorium rose from the fortunes of Reynolds Tobacco Company. Katharine Smith Reynolds, wife of company founder R.J. Reynolds, was the driving force behind the space. After R.J. died in 1918, she made plans to build a grand high school and auditorium in his honor.

After its opening in 1924, the auditorium went on to become one of the top performance spaces in the South, hosting acts such as Harry Houdini, Will Rogers, Jim Croce, and R.E.M. The space underwent a massive $6.2 million renovation in 2002 that enhanced the electronics, HVAC system, and restroom facilities. It’s now on the National Register of Historic Places and operated by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, which continues to keep the auditorium open to the community, hosting an array of special events and concerts each month. Accutane without a prescription

R J Reynolds High School Auditorium