Installations

Stepping into the octagon-shaped First Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C. may not have been as intimidating as stepping into a similarly-shaped cage for mixed martial arts. But the church's layout still posed an interesting challenge for Frank Ward, owner of Acoustical Design: to install an AV system that would optimize the experience of worshippers listening to sermons, the choir and to video presentations.

"This is a state-of-the-art facility with features you would normally only find in a building that was built from the ground up," Brad Garven says. "It was an unusual renovation."

Make that an extensive renovation.

Mickey Gilley's legacy as an icon of country music was already secure when he opened his original namesake bar and honky tonk in Pasadena, Texas in 1971. With its mechanical broncos and classy roadhouse vibe, the club was further immortalized as the centerpiece of the 1980 hit movie Urban Cowboy, setting the benchmark for hip country music bars from coast to coast.

The Palace Theater originally opened in 1922 and is part of the Playhouse Square complex, an integral part of the Cleveland Theater District. The venue, which seats 2,700, is used for an eclectic mix of shows, from touring productions to concerts.

Lots of edgy stuff happens on a daily basis at the Penn & Teller Theater in the Las Vegas Rio Hotel. To make sure things don't go absolutely haywire, the sound crew relies heavily upon its wireless communications system.

The word "metropolis" doesn't easily roll off the tongue, unless of course, you're a superhero and you're talking about protecting your hometown. Just about the only other place in the "real world" where the term seems appropriate is Las Vegas – land of skyscrapers, megaplexes and roller coasters on top of skyscraper megaplexes.

Built in 1844, St. Malachy's is the third oldest Roman Catholic church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. When the uniquely detailed church reopened after 15-month, $6 million restoration to its interior and exterior, parishioners marveled at the restored brickwork, plasterwork, marble altar, mosaic floor and "wedding cake" fan-vaulted ceiling.

Sitting, literally, under the stage of the Auditorium at the Community of Christ's international headquarters in Independence, Mo., event media systems coordinator Bob Haworth is thinking about the changes he's seen at the place where he's worked for the past 40 years.

Shortly after the installation of an all new set of racks and stacks at the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium last spring, production manager Tony Bova and his staff started to hear a curious observation from the venue's season ticket holders. "People thought it was too quiet," Bova remarks with a laugh. "That's an interesting reversal in the complaint department, but it's been a nice change and everyone has noticed the improvement."

As the owners of Victory Brewing Company are fond of pointing out, American beer has been the butt of many a European joke. Since starting out 12 years ago, the Downingtown, Penn.-based company has made great strides toward refuting that stereotype, with more than 15 of the company’s acclaimed brews garnering rave reviews and a reputation far beyond that of a typical microbrewery.

Say what you will about the tired adage “everything’s bigger in Texas,” but there’s at least one man in the Lone Star State who has made it his life’s passion to keep it fresh. That man? Jerry Jones, the main brain (and wallet) behind the Dallas Cowboys. Those who work for him, or around him, call him “The Owner.” Football fans have other, sometimes colorful, names for him.

When Bret Lambert, owner of Procure Distributing in Owasso, Okla., walked into the University Heights Baptist Church earlier this year, he was a bit surprised. It wasn’t the complete gutting and rebuilding of the church’s sanctuary, not the expanse of musical styling that the members perform or the fact that so much happens in this Stillwater church that they had to update their PA. No, what surprised him was what was already installed.