Knox College's Ford Center for the Fine Arts is a superbly endowed facility for art, theatre, dance, and music.  At virtually any hour of the day you can find Knox students at work in the Ford Center's art studios, theatre facilities, music halls, and practice rooms.

Harbach Theatre
Harbach Theatre is Knox's "main stage" theatre. It is a dual-configuration space: the stage and a section of the audience are situated on a 72 ft diameter turntable, capable of rotating 180 degrees to provide a proscenium configuration that seats 600 and a thrust configuration that seats 450. Designers over the years have developed many unique and non-traditional ways of working with the space. Harbach is home to each term's main-stage production as well as the Spring Formal Dance Concert and numerous visiting groups and events. Photo, right: Performance of "Grapes of Wrath" in Harbach Theatre.

Studio Theatre
Studio Theatre is Knox's 40ft x 60ft flexible "black box" theatre—a room within which the arrangement possibilities are nearly endless, seating about 100 people on average. Studio Theatre is student run, directed, and designed. Studio occasionally plays home to visiting companies and productions for the edification and enjoyment of the campus at large. Studio productions range from simple bare-stage shows to full-length productions complete with specific scenery and lighting.

Kresge Recital Hall
The acoustically superb, 325-seat Kresge Recital Hall houses recently-purchased 9' Steinway "D" and 6'6" Kawai GS concert pianos, two harpsichords and a pipe organ. Kresge is home to music ensemble concerts including the Knox College Choir, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble and student recitals as well as numerous visiting groups and events. Photo, right, Knox College Choir in Kresge Hall.

Other Facilities
Lectures, films and classes are held in the Round Room, and student, faculty and alumni art exhibits are displayed in the Gallery and Lobby.  The Ford Center also houses faculty offices for the Departments of Art, Music and Theatre, the Admission Office and the Financial Aid Office.

History of Ford Center for the Fine Arts
The Ford Center for the Fine Arts is named in memory of Eleanor Abbott Ford—the daughter of Clara A. Abbott, an 1854 graduate of the Knox Academy, Knox College's preparatory school, and Dr. Wallace C. Abbott, the founder of Abbott Laboratories, a multi-billion dollar chemical and pharmaceutical company. Construction of the Ford Center for the Fine Arts in 1964-65 led to another unique feature on the Knox campus. The dirt excavated from the site was used to build the Knox Bowl, which is one of the nation's most distinctive small college football arenas.