Honoring 50 Years of History with Modern Materials

For the past 50 years, the Louis Converse Cramton Auditorium on Howard University’s main campus in Washington, DC, has hosted thousands of events attended by global leaders, key political figures, and star performers from around the world. Considered a local cultural icon, the 1,500-seat auditorium has been credited with deeply enriching the social and academic lives of students and the community since its founding in 1961.

“The goal was a beautifully finished product that would last for decades,” explained Sahar Abi-Hassan, the Cramton Hall project manager at Keystone Plus Construction Corp.

“The bathroom partitions from Scranton Products fit wonderfully into the overall design and fit all our requirements for long-lasting wear. So far, we’ve heard nothing but compliments,” Abi-Hassan said. “That’s why our contracting firm generally goes with Scranton Products. They offer numerous stylish options that we know will withstand years of abuse from thousands of patrons attending nearly any venue.”

Discovering the Potential of HDPE Partitions

In celebration of the venue’s golden anniversary, Cramton Hall was relaunched in the fall of 2011 after undergoing massive renovations designed to dramatically enhance the user experience and create an environmentally sustainable landscape that profiles all forms of exhibitions and interactive performances. Under the oversight of Cox, the project architect from Olaya Studio, the upgrade included improved accessibility for both patrons and performers, upgraded lighting, refreshed dressing rooms, and the expansion and construction of the facility’s restrooms.

Totaling approximately $4.5 million, the construction, which began August 2011, reached near-completion in November 2011. “It was imperative to perform the necessary upgrades without disturbing the performance schedule,” Cox said. “As a result, we specified the highest-quality materials to help eliminate the possibility of delays. This included the expansion and total reconfiguration of the men’s and women’s restrooms, which had never before been restored in the past 50 years.”

The key to this restoration was the selection of bathroom fixtures, textures, and finishes that were meticulously chosen to not only meet the latest code requirements but also to embody the theater’s long history of fine arts achievement. White tile from Spain was stylishly matched with Hiny Hiders bathroom partitions in Java, a rich, deep coffee color, with Contour texture from Scranton Products to smoothly transition the conference hall’s elegant aesthetics into the restrooms located in the facility’s lower level.

Partitions for Accessible and Durable Bathrooms

For more than 25 years, Scranton Products has been a leading provider of unique and attractive interior partitions offered in a variety of colors, textures, and ADA-compliant configurations. In addition, the company’s HDPE partitions never rust or delaminate and provide superior resistance to dents, scratches, graffiti, corrosion, mildew, and moisture. Another benefit is that they’re easy to clean and naturally resistant to bacteria.

“Accessibility and durability were key to the bathroom restorations,” Cox explained. “Plus we needed to get everything right the first time since the timetable for completion was so short and the conference planners wanted to maintain their rigorous activity schedule. Delays were not an option. So we diligently coordinated with the contractor on the selection of materials that would best meet our short- and long-term goals.

“This was a hall that went 50 years between innovations. We wanted to surpass expectations for this cultural phenomenon while laying the foundation for another half-century of uninterrupted service and pleasure.”