Diller Scofidio + Renfro lately offered ideas to restore the Kalita Humphreys Theater at the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) in Dallas. Initially intended by Frank Lloyd Wright, this theater is the only freestanding theater in Wright’s overall body of function, DS+R reported in a information launch. “The Kalita Humphreys Theater is a mid-century architectural masterpiece in require of a thoughtful update right after numerous generations of cultural, technological, and city alter,” claims Kevin Moriarty, DTC’s artistic director.
“Over the a long time, a blend of neglect and additions have compromised the building’s integrity,” the launch suggests. “Restoring the Kalita Humphreys Theater to its original state demands a multifaceted strategy that includes surgical extraction, selective reconstruction, thorough preservation, and devoted reinterpretation of Wright’s style and design intent.”
The design and style approach calls for removal of superfluous components included around time, including the 1968 lobby extension that compromised the authentic massing of the developing. Architectural specifics will be refurbished, including mid-century light fixtures, air grilles, door handles, window moldings, and household furniture.
The building will endure modernization which include upgraded lights, AV, phase infrastructure, and other back-of-dwelling functions to improve versatility for a wider variety of performances. Seating will be re-raked to resemble the 1959 auditorium, but every single row will be staggered to boost sightlines. A central info place and historical middle in the campus foyer will orient and interact guests.
The theater’s bordering landscape will get a makeover to make the internet site far more engaging all through the working day. In excess of the decades, the bucolic setting has been fragmented by substantial parking lots and a tangle of roadways. Bluffs taken out as section of the 1968 addition are irrecoverable, but a frivolously reshaped landscape will echo the primary topography. Invasive bamboo will be eliminated in favor of native grasses and shrubs, supporting to management erosion and soak up runoff. Enhanced visual and physical linkages will present connections to adjoining trails.
New courtyards and plazas, higher-degree inexperienced roofs, a bosque, walkways, and a restaurant and café will be built. A 100-seat black box theater with a walkable ceiling grid and an operable façade will open up onto one of the courtyards, producing an indoor/outside location with versatile seating configurations. A multipurpose pavilion will give a adaptable infrastructure for official and casual situations, which includes public lessons and workshops. Additional cellular areas in the rehearsal and schooling ‘tower’ will dwelling compact, immersive productions.
Also on the task team:
Structure Architect: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, (Companion-in-Demand: Charles Renfro)
Area 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
Building Manager: Beck Development
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