Diller Scofidio + Renfro recently presented plans to restore the Kalita Humphreys Theater at the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) in Dallas. Originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, this theater is the only freestanding theater in Wright’s body of work, DS+R said in a news release. “The Kalita Humphreys Theater is a mid-century architectural masterpiece in need of a thoughtful update after several generations of cultural, technological, and urban change,” says Kevin Moriarty, DTC’s artistic director.
“Over the years, a combination of neglect and additions have compromised the building’s integrity,” the release says. “Restoring the Kalita Humphreys Theater to its original state requires a multifaceted approach that involves surgical extraction, selective reconstruction, careful preservation, and faithful reinterpretation of Wright’s design intent.”
The design plan calls for removal of superfluous elements added over time, including the 1968 lobby extension that compromised the original massing of the building. Architectural details will be refurbished, including mid-century light fixtures, air grilles, door handles, window moldings, and furniture.
The building will undergo modernization including upgraded lighting, AV, stage infrastructure, and other back-of-house functions to improve flexibility for a wider range of performances. Seating will be re-raked to resemble the 1959 auditorium, but each row will be staggered to improve sightlines. A central information point and historical center in the campus lobby will orient and engage visitors.
The theater’s surrounding landscape will get a makeover to make the site more engaging throughout the day. Over the years, the bucolic setting has been fragmented by large parking lots and a tangle of roadways. Bluffs removed as part of the 1968 addition are irrecoverable, but a lightly reshaped landscape will echo the original topography. Invasive bamboo will be removed in favor of native grasses and shrubs, helping to control erosion and absorb runoff. Improved visual and physical linkages will provide connections to adjoining trails.
New courtyards and plazas, upper-level green roofs, a bosque, walkways, and a restaurant and café will be constructed. A 100-seat black box theater with a walkable ceiling grid and an operable façade will open onto one of the courtyards, creating an indoor/outdoor venue with flexible seating configurations. A multipurpose pavilion will offer a flexible infrastructure for formal and informal events, including public classes and workshops. More cellular spaces in the rehearsal and education ‘tower’ will house small, immersive productions.
Also on the project team:
Design Architect: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, (Partner-in-Charge: Charles Renfro)
Local Architect: BOKA Powell
Landscape Architects: Reed Hilderbrand
Historic Preservation: Harboe Architects
Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates
Civil & Traffic Engineer: Pacheco Koch
Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineer: Syska Hennessy Group
Construction Manager: Beck Construction
Related Stories
| Feb 11, 2011
Sustainable features on the bill for dual-building performing arts center at Soka University of America
The $73 million Soka University of America’s new performing arts center and academic complex recently opened on the school’s Aliso Viejo, Calif., campus. McCarthy Building Companies and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects collaborated on the two-building project. One is a three-story, 47,836-sf facility with a grand reception lobby, a 1,200-seat auditorium, and supports spaces. The other is a four-story, 48,974-sf facility with 11 classrooms, 29 faculty offices, a 150-seat black box theater, rehearsal/dance studio, and support spaces. The project, which has a green roof, solar panels, operable windows, and sun-shading devices, is going for LEED Silver.
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Jan 4, 2011
An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value
One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.
| Dec 17, 2010
Sam Houston State arts programs expand into new performance center
Theater, music, and dance programs at Sam Houston State University have a new venue in the 101,945-sf, $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center. WHR Architects, Houston, designed the new center to connect two existing buildings at the Huntsville, Texas, campus.
| Nov 3, 2010
Park’s green education center a lesson in sustainability
The new Cantigny Outdoor Education Center, located within the 500-acre Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., earned LEED Silver. Designed by DLA Architects, the 3,100-sf multipurpose center will serve patrons of the park’s golf courses, museums, and display garden, one of the largest such gardens in the Midwest.
| Oct 13, 2010
Biloxi’s convention center bigger, better after Katrina
The Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi is once again open for business following a renovation and expansion necessitated by Hurricane Katrina.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Oct 12, 2010
Holton Career and Resource Center, Durham, N.C.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. Early in the current decade, violence within the community of Northeast Central Durham, N.C., escalated to the point where school safety officers at Holton Junior High School feared for their own safety. The school eventually closed and the property sat vacant for five years.
