The Music and Theater Building facing Wilkinson St. was constructed in 1939 over and around a 1912 steam plant, partly with Public Works Administration money and partly by funds from a bequest by Louisa Porter Gilmer Minis of Savannah. Mrs. Minis wished the building to be named for her great-uncle, Anthony Porter, a wealthy Savannah planter and merchant, who had once served as secretary to Gov. David Brydie Mitchell.
During a 1986 renovation, Porter Auditorium was beautifully updated and, in 1987, was renamed Max Noah Recital Hall in honor of the former Music Department Chair, Dr. Max Noah.
By Dr. Bob Wilson, University Historian
