This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Bone Student Center, yet there are still many facts about this popular campus venue that you may not be aware of, even after half a century.
Ten things you may not know about the Bone and Braden Auditorium include:
1. Originally named the Union and Auditorium, its name was changed to the Bone Student Center in 1982 in honor of two former presidents and their wives: Dr. Robert Bone and Karin Bone and Dr. Samuel Braden and Beth Braden. The Brown Ballroom was named after Francis and Helen Brown in 2005.
2. Original plans for the new Union and Auditorium on campus called for a hotel.
3. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Hope, Johnny Cash, and Prince are among the hundreds of Braden Auditorium performers who have signed the cinder block “star” dressing room walls over the past 50 years. Additional past Braden performers have included Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Frank Zappa, Barry Manilow, Pearl Jam, Carole King, Cypress Hill with Rage Against the Machine, Beck, P!nk, Brad Paisley, Iggy Azalea, Lenny Kravitz, Rick Springfield, Matchbox Twenty, and Robin Williams among many others.
4. Braden Auditorium has been the site of five ice shows in which the stage has been turned into an ice rink.
5. Hundreds of thousands of students have dined at the Bone Student Center through the decades. They’ve enjoyed meals at restaurants including Crock ‘n Roll Deli, Eligo’s Deli, Garcia’s Pizza, The Cage, 1857 Room, Ritazza Coffe, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen. Current restaurants include Timbers Grille, The Landing, McAlister’s Deli, Starbucks, and Qdoba.
6. The Bone Student Center has hosted several high-profile politicians. During the presidential primary campaign in 1979, Ronald Reagan spoke at the McLean County Chamber of Commerce Dinner in the ballroom. He used Director Bruce Kaiser’s office suite as his dressing room. Additionally, when Vice President George Bush made a campaign stop at the Bone Student Center in 1988, the staff spent nearly a week with the Secret Service preparing for the event. In 2022, one of two televised Illinois gubernatorial debates was held in Braden Auditorium.
7. The mosaic mural on the west side of the building titled, “All of Us Under a Rainbow” was unveiled at the close of A Very Special Arts Festival (1982-85).
8. The “Fear the Bird” T-shirt program began in 2007 to promote school spirit and tradition and generate more traffic in the Bone Student Center. Since then, more than 58,000 Fear the Bird shirts have been sold. Shirts feature a new look—designed by a student—each year, and students wearing the shirt receive an incentive for wearing the shirt on Fridays. Past incentives include free coffee from Starbucks, fries from Timbers Grille, a pop-socket from TechZone, and more.
9. The Bone Student Center attracts about 5,000 daily visitors and hosts more than 3,000 events in a typical year—from sell-out concerts in Braden Auditorium (such as Noah Kahan in spring 2023) to wedding receptions in the Brown Ballroom.
10. In 2021, the Bone Student Center underwent a $32.9 million renovation. Renovations created an overall change in space and aesthetic that increased natural light throughout the facility. New food and retail options were added to “the living room of campus,” and amenities—including access to courtyards and fireplaces—were incorporated.
