Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts

The construction of the Hall of Fine Arts started in 1955. Abbot Pennings was alive for the beginning of the construction of the building and was present for the groundbreaking of the project. Unfortunately Abbot Pennings was not able to see the finished product of the Fine Arts building during his lifetime; he passed away March 17, 1955. When construction was finally completed, the building was dedicated in Abbot Penning's honor and was named the Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts. This building currently houses St. Norbert’s Music and Theater departments. There are rehearsal facilities and practice rooms as well as two theatres, the Byron L. Walter Theatre and Neil J. & Mary M. Webb Memorial Theatre.

The Walter Theatre was created during the construction of the Abbot Pennings Hall of Fine Arts in 1955. Byron L. Walter was a very generous man throughout his lifetime. After he passed away, the Byron L. Walter Family Trust was created to carry out his generosity. The Walter Theatre was dedicated in his name because creation of this theater was only possible due to the donation from this trust. Since the original creation of the theater, it has been renovated once, in 1989, to improve the lobby and interior environment by adding more seating and updating the acoustics.

The Neil J. & Mary M. Webb Memorial Theatre was opened and dedicated on September 14, 1989 in memory of the fourth president of St. Norbert College, Neil J. Webb, and his wife, Mary M. Webb. This theater is smaller in size than the Walter Theatre and has an asymmetrical thrust stage. The seating in this theater wraps around the stage. This type of stage set up allows for a more intimate interaction between the performers and the audience. This theater is also home to the Theatre Program at St. Norbert.