In 1985, a stained-glass window was donated and installed at the entrance, further disconnecting the space from its original axis and design intention. The heart of the hall was now completely sealed off, with no light reaching the stained-glass window.

In September 1988 architect and lecturer Anton du Toit added a staircase and removed a piece of the original balcony to add more space for books. (He was my 3rd year design lecturer in 1988). Bookshelves were installed throughout the hall as well as on stage, while the kitchen had to double up as office for the librarian and archivist.

Later, this significant axis was further concealed by the addition of a meeting space in the passage leading to the old entrance and stained-glass window. The floor was raised, tiled with slate and closed off with mundane domestic brown standard aluminium glazing and doors. Another obstacle on the axis and barrier to the significant heart.

The closing of the main door posed a fire escape problem and the raised floor a tripping hazard which had to be removed. Over time, services were installed on the walls and ceilings with visually disturbing surface mounted trunking, original pine trusses were painted black and the floors hidden under unsightly loose carpets, bookshelves and furniture. The space became cluttered with not only bookshelves, but school projects, mementos and other bric-a-brac items collected and dumped over the years. Library tables were covered with patterned tablecloths, and the stage sagged presumably under the weight of the bookshelves, requiring structural support and jacking up of the wooden beams. The view through the windows looked onto visual noise of services attached to outside buildings. Artificial light was produced by unsightly suspended, practical trunking for fluorescents.