The Ewart Hall of the American University in Cairo

Al-Sheikh Rihan Street

Ewart Hall is the main auditorium of the University and was built in 1928 with a grant from an anonymous donor who requested that the hall be named after her grandfather, William Dana Ewart, who had visited Egypt for health reasons. Ewart Memorial Hall (commonly referred to as Ewart Hall) is a two-level hall, seating approximately 1,000 people (approx. 700 downstairs and 300 in the balcony.) It was designed by Ariston St. John Diamant.

The hall has many uses. It is the venue for concerts, lectures, talent shows, conferences, speeches, musical and dance performances as well as commencement ceremonies (the graduate commencement ceremony is held in Ewart Hall.) The AUC Student Union also screens movies there as part of its weekly movie series.

Ewart Hall has been used by the Cairene community as a cultural center to host public lectures, movies and cultural performances. The renowned Egyptian singer, Umm Kalthoum, gave one of her first performances here, in 1937. When the Cairo Opera House burned down, AUC offered the hall as a venue to the Cairo Opera Company, who performed here for almost 18 months. The famous 1980's pop group, "The Police" also held a concert here.

The picture shows Hillary Clinton giving a speech in the hall on 23 March 1999 at the start of her visit to north Africa. She was accompanied by her daughter Chelsea.

American University in Cairo Web Site

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