INSPECTION Pastor General Gerald Flurry views a four-foot scale model of the main chandelier in Dallas, TX (main) and inspects onyx samples in Ft. Worth, TX (inset) May 23.

Auditorium jewels selected

August 4, 2008

EDMOND—Pastor General Gerald Flurry has approved the interior lighting and semi-precious stone finishes that will adorn the grand lobby of Armstrong Auditorium. Three diamond-shaped crystal chandeliers and coordinating wall sconces were approved, in addition to a caramel-color onyx that will decorate three feature walls in the grand lobby.

Mr. Flurry presented a brief computerized video animation to Herbert W. Armstrong College faculty, students, their families and guests during this year’s graduation ceremony on May 18, depicting the completed auditorium’s grand lobby as it will appear with the chandeliers and onyx installed.

The main chandelier, which will dominate the center of the room, will be 12 feet in diameter and 10 feet tall with a weight of approximately 1.5 tons. Two slightly smaller chandeliers, on either side of the main fixture, will be 10 feet in diameter and 8 feet tall, weighing about 1 ton each.

“The solid crystal design of the chandeliers means that they will be enjoyed from all angles,” Mr. Flurry said. Visitors will “see them from the top, that is, up in the balcony, as well as from the [lobby] floor.”

The crystal used in the chandeliers is made of 35 percent leaded glass that has been machine cut and polished. Lead oxide is added to the molten glass, which gives lead crystal a higher index of refraction than normal glass and “consequently much greater sparkle showing all of these different colors of the rainbow,” according to Mr. Flurry.

Mr. Flurry traveled to Dallas, Tex., on May 23 to personally inspect the chandelier design and the onyx. The pastor general’s first stop was at the World Trade Center near downtown Dallas where he inspected a 4-foot-diameter model of the crystal chandelier.

There he inspected the various grades of crystal available and browsed dozens of other styles of chandeliers to make sure the proposed design was the best option. After an hour of discussion, he agreed that the diamond shape was best suited for the project and gave final approval to move forward with the purchase negotiations.

The next stop was a tile showroom near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to inspect the onyx samples. Mr. Flurry was impressed with the quality and beauty of the onyx and asked where it was quarried. The sales representative replied that it was quarried in Iran and then shipped to Italy for cutting and polishing, which, coincidentally, are the same locations where the rose onyx in Ambassador was acquired.

The caramel color was chosen to complement the interior finishes and overall color scheme of the building. After viewing several samples that ranged from light cream to dark caramel, Mr. Flurry approved the darker color, and it was agreed that the buyer in Iran should choose the onyx that matched this color during extraction at the quarry.

The two 802-piece Baccarat crystal candelabra, which the Church acquired from Ambassador Auditorium in 2004, will be placed in the lobby in front of the onyx walls. Between the two candelabra, at the center of the lobby, will be an inscription of dedication on the third onyx wall.

“Those chandeliers, and all the beauty that God allows us to have, [are] going to give us a picture—help us to see like we’ve never seen before, help us to see what is ahead,” said Mr. Flurry at the graduation ceremony.

Next on the design agenda are the selections of floor coverings, seating and stage draperies.

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