By Michelle Smyth, AIA, ALEP, LEED AP, NCARB��

Performing arts centers are more than performance halls. In the right hands, they become daily learning environments that spark creativity,��collaboration��and critical thinking. Across the country, school leaders are recognizing that arts education plays a pivotal role in preparing students for the future. In fact, students involved in the arts are����to earn academic recognition, and arts participation strengthens the skills students will use in every career.��

Richland 2 School District in Richland County, S.C., is putting that belief into practice. With more than 27,000 students, 81% of whom are already engaged in arts programs, the district created a campus anchored by a����that blends STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and the arts into a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) learning environment.����

The 1,175-seat theater hosts events of all types from classical music concerts to modern drama, while black box and dance studios double as instructional spaces. A welcoming, spacious lobby and outdoor performance areas extend the building’s reach into the community, ensuring it stays active well beyond the school day. These spaces may also be used for performances or��displays��and celebrations of student artwork.��

The Richland 2 School District’s approach shows that a performing arts center can be both an academic tool and a civic gathering place — but achieving that balance starts long before design development. The decisions made early in the process��determine��whether a facility can support student learning while��remaining��a destination for the community over its lifetime.����

Early Decisions That Shape Success��

The most successful performing arts centers start with careful planning long before construction begins. Creating a vision for the building that speaks to its action and service to��students��and the community may be fostered from stakeholder engagement at the beginning of the planning process.��

Site placement, adjacencies, circulation, and phasing all influence how well a building will serve students and the public over time. Some of the best designs consider how the space functions during the school day, supports after-hours use and adapts as programs grow.��

Schools with strong arts programs typically have higher attendance rates for both students and teachers, a benefit Lexington County, S.C., School District One sought in its White Knoll High School expansion. Initially, the plan was to build the performing arts center beside an existing classroom wing. Early in the process, however, the design team recommended a different approach: placing the facility in the center of campus.��

This single decision allowed the performing arts center and a two-story classroom wing to be built simultaneously. The approach��collapsed��a phased construction plan, saved a full year on the��schedule��and avoided the cost of��relocating��portables. The 1,000-seat theater now offers professional-quality performance space, while the adjacent classrooms house science labs, CTE programs and collaboration areas.����

Locating the performing arts center at the center of campus shortened travel times for students, improved safety by��consolidating��access points and kept construction on schedule while adding new academic facilities. It also��showcased��their new performing arts program in the heart of their campus.��

Designing for Flexibility and Community Impact��

Location is only one part of the equation.��Designing for��flexibility ensures the facility serves not just the school, but the wider community. That means creating spaces that can shift between school assemblies, professional productions,��conferences��and community events. It also means providing students with opportunities to learn both on stage and behind the scenes.��

Lexington 2 School District’s new performing arts center builds skills through both performance and technical training. The 1,500-seat theater features a full orchestra pit, manual rigging, overhead catwalks, and backstage support spaces from dressing rooms to a catering kitchen. Students gain practical experience in lighting,��rigging��and stage management that can carry into college or career pathways.��

The two-story grand lobby, lit by customizable color-changing fixtures, welcomes audiences for both school and community events. With spaces designed to host everything from district assemblies to regional performances, the center reinforces the idea that a performing arts center can be both a teaching tool and a cultural anchor.��

See more images and read more about transforming vision��into��long-term��value��in the November/December 2025 Technology edition of �鶹������.��

Michelle Smyth, AIA, ALEP, LEED AP, NCARB, is a Principal at McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture and a member of the �鶹������ Editorial Advisory Board.��

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What You Need to Know��

• Gordon College announced plans for the Adams Center for Music, a new performance hall and expansion of its music facilities in Wenham, Massachusetts.����

• The project is supported by a planned gift from Stephen and Denise Adams, according to the college.����

• The college said it expects to break ground in summer 2026 and open the center in fall 2028.����

• Planned features include a 500-seat performance hall, rehearsal and education spaces, and design elements emphasizing transparency and community connection.����

Learn More��

Gordon College announced plans for the Adams Center for Music, a new performance venue and expansion intended to unify the college’s music programs in a single facility for the first time.����

The Wenham,��Massachusetts-based��college��said the project—its most significant building effort since the Ken Olsen Science Center opened in 2008—will be made possible by a planned gift from arts and higher-education supporters Stephen and Denise Adams.����

Under the current plan, Gordon said construction will start in summer 2026, with an opening targeted for fall 2028. The Adams Center for Music will adjoin the existing Phillips Music Center and is expected to bring choral and instrumental ensembles and other music programs into one��consolidated��location.����

“This project reflects Gordon’s commitment to investing in the arts and expanding the reach and reputation of our music program,” said Gordon College President Michael D. Hammond, according to an article from Gordon College.����

The college said Epstein Joslin + Picardy Architects will design the building. Plans call for performance and rehearsal space, including a 500-seat performance hall, a large ensemble rehearsal room and dedicated areas for choral and music education, along with views of A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel and the campus landscape.����

The announcement described “striking glass apertures” along campus pathways that will provide sightlines into key rehearsal and performance areas, a choice the college framed as a symbol of transparency and connection. It also said the performance hall will use wrap-around seating to create an immersive, communal experience, and that the stage will be built to accommodate programming ranging from large��choral-orchestral��works to chamber music.����

“This is more than a building; it is a catalyst for transformation,” said Dr. Sarita Kwok, dean of the Adams School of Music and the Arts, according to an article from Gordon College.����

Architect Alan Joslin, founding principal of Epstein Joslin + Picardy Architects, said the building’s “most eye-catching features” will be its “transparency and communal shaping,” with extensive use of glass intended as an invitation to engage with the arts.��

Denise Adams said the planned facility reflects a belief that music deserves purpose-built environments. “This building reflects Stephen’s and my belief that music deserves spaces designed with the same care and intentionality as the art itself,” she said, according to an article from Gordon College.����

Gordon also pointed to the Adams family’s history of investing in music education and positioned the project as part of a broader vision for arts programming and community engagement.��

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By Lindsey Coulter��

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Earlier this month, the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, celebrated a milestone in the construction of the new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts. University representatives and members of the project team gathered for the project’s topping out ceremony as the final vertical beam was added to the building’s structure. Serving as the new home for the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance, the project is expected to be completed by November 2026 after breaking ground in 2023.

When complete, the 130,088-square-foot Smith Family Center for Performing Arts will provide a performance venue for the Department of Theatre and Dance, consolidating all of the department’s performances and academic functions into a single area of campus. The building will hold a 350-seat drama theater, a 450-seat dance theater and a 250-seat studio theater. These performance spaces will allow for an intimate artist-to-audience connections. Meanwhile, costume, scenery, production and lighting studios sized and equipped to match commercial studios will ensure that design and technical students experience a seamless transition into the professional world. Adjustable acoustics in the drama theatres and precisely engineered floors for dance will allow faculty to train students in facilities equivalent to the ones in which they will be working as professionals. Faculty offices and classrooms for the department will be relocated to the Peter Bryce Main building, which will be connected to the Smith Family Center by its new lobby.

HPM is providing program and project management for construction of the center, working to oversee budget control, scheduling and project management through every phase of construction from planning to closeout. TurnerBatson Architects is serving as the architect on the project, while M.J. Harris Construction Services LLC is serving as the general contractor.

“The Smith Family Center for Performing Arts will be a centerpiece for creativity and learning on campus, and reaching the topping out is a testament to our teams’ expertise and dedication to getting the job done on time,” said Austin Fisher, senior project manager at HPM, in a statement. We look forward to bringing the vision for this facility to life and delivering a space that will inspire generations of students, faculty members and audiences.”

The Performing Arts Academic Center is intended to be a marquee public space for the campus community as well as visitors, bringing student artists, faculty mentors, arts lovers, community members and visitors together to explore the arts in a one-of-a-kind facility.

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By Fay Harvey��

Construction is progressing on the new Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts at Crossroads School for Art and Sciences, a college preparatory school in Santa Monica, Calif. The new 58,000-square-foot facility will house state-of-the-art learning, performance and rehearsal spaces as well as the school’s Equity & Justice Institute. Completion is anticipated for early 2026.

The center was designed by Los Angeles-based architectural firm Studio Pali Fekete Architects (SPF:a) and led by Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA, design principal, and co-founder. The firm is well versed in performing arts projects, having also completed design work for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the renovation of the Pantages Theatre, both in Los Angeles. Douglass Design + Build of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was selected to construct the project and broke ground in 2024.��

When project development began in 2019, SPF:a envisioned a series of technically refined spaces that open to a sleek courtyard. As the Covid-19 pandemic began, however, the design-build team—which also included audiovisual engineering and installation company AMT Systems Inc. of Santa Clarita, Calif., and LA Propoint of Sun Valley, Calif., for theatre infrastructure expertise—adapted to shifting conditions to ensure the project’s successful completion.��

The site was a determining factor for many structural aspects of the project, including the placement of the main theater. To accommodate height restrictions, designers positioned the stage fly—a mechanical rope system necessary for stage changes and curtain control—at the lower end of the site to slope upward from north to south. Additionally, the stage floor will be aligned with the side alley, eliminating the need for ramps and lifts.

An additional design challenge was centralizing the fragmented performing arts facilities into a cohesive 55,000-square-foot building while preserving the spirit of the site’s industrial heritage. To achieve this goal, the firm designed a structurally straightforward building with a network of practice rooms, rehearsal spaces and seminar rooms. The space more than quadruples theatre seating, as the new Stern Family Theater will offer space for 650 attendees. A new flexible-use open-air lobby connects to the smaller 100-seat performance space, which will host rehearsals and more intimate events. Supporting these spaces are a multipurpose filmmaking classroom, practice spaces, music classrooms, ample storage areas, and an electronic music and recording studio.��

“Programmatically, our design attempts to fit into and preserve the spirit of the industrial use prevalent in the site’s history,” Pali said. “We centralized the activity of the current fragmented performing arts facilities into one highly rational and structurally simple expression.”��

While the programmatic requirements and adjacencies are governed by functionality and simplicity, the building’s identity is more literally expressed in its form. On the exterior, the venue evokes the spirit of the performing arts through materiality and design. Via white plaster carve-outs, the building plays with the abstract shapes of musical instruments—including the body of a violin, the bell of a trumpet and the neck of the guitar—to create architectural elements such as the marquee and grand stair opening. Meanwhile, dark bronze, vertical, corrugated aluminum exterior panels mimic the texture of stage curtains while also echoing the area’s industrial history. The smooth white plaster carve-outs juxtapose the industrial elements, creating a cohesive design that respects the past while looking forward to the future.����

Read more about the project, including design approaches and the new Equity & Justice Institute, in the ��

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ST. CROIX FALLS, Wis.—General contracting firm Kraus-Anderson has completed $13.5 million in additions to St. Croix Falls High School, located approximately 50 miles east of Minneapolis just over the Wisconsin border.

The marquee piece of the addition is a 21,000-square-foot fine arts center, which will seat nearly 600 people in its music and performing arts auditorium. The fine arts center will be home to several performances by St. Croix Falls’ arts and music programs as well as visiting ensembles to stage musicals, concerts and various other performing arts. Group learning will also be feasible in the performing arts space, thereby freeing up additional space on campus for other purposes. A partnership is being established between the school’s performing arts center and the city’s Civic Auditorium.

Other pieces of the addition include a 6,400-square-foot fitness center that will be perfect for group classes and sports events. The space will also be utilized for extracurricular training and provide extra storage for the physical education department.

The third part of the expansion entails a 300-square-foot “wash bay” that will be adjacent to the existing garages that service the district’s buses and official vehicles for maintenance purposes.

The additions were designed by DSGW, based in Duluth, Minn.

“There is no greater reward than successfully completing a K-12 construction project knowing the end result will have an immediate and long-lasting impact on both the educational and extra-curricular opportunities afforded to all students,” Mike Phillips, Kraus-Anderson’s project manager for the St. Croix Falls High School project, said in an email sent to �鶹������. “I am extremely proud of the St. Croix Falls administration, KA’s project team and DSGW Architects, and cannot wait for the students and community members to experience their new space.”

DSGW’s other education-related projects include the 66,030-square-foot Duluth Public Schools in Duluth and the 84,940-square-foot Spero Academy in Brooklyn Park.

The St. Croix Falls High School project first broke ground in April 2021. It represents just one part of Kraus-Anderson’s “Summer Sprint,” which the contractor pushed through in its bid to complete as much educational construction work as feasible before the winter months mothball such efforts until the spring.

Kraus-Anderson, founded in 1897, offers services in construction management and real estate development. The firm operates from its Minneapolis headquarters but also has offices in Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester in Minnesota, as well as other locations in Milwaukee and Madison in next-door Wisconsin and one in North Dakota’s capital of Bismarck.

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MOLINE, Ill. — Moline High School’s 62-year-old auditorium has a new look and name—the Bartlett Performing Arts Center.

On March 7, more than 150 members of the Moline-Coal Valley School District 40 community gathered to celebrate completion of the 47,000-square-foot facility. This new center will not only create opportunities for students; it also benefits the entire Moline community and Quad Cities region as an education and entertainment venue.

“From the classrooms to the multiuse and performance spaces, from the set shop to the theater rigging and technology, we now truly have a state-of-the-art area for the arts and we’re thrilled to share such a tremendous facility with the community,” says Moline High School Principal Trista Sanders.

Designed by Legat Architects, which has offices in Illinois and Ohio, and built by Iowa-based Russell, the Bartlett Performing Arts Center stems from a partnership between Moline-Coal Valley School District and the Robert E. Bartlett Family Foundation.

Patrick Brosnan, president and CEO of Legat, recalls that throughout the process they asked, “‘What’s right for students? How does it fit the curriculum? How does it fit the community?’ The answers to these questions influenced everything from the seats and flooring to the ceiling and infrastructure.”

The rejuvenated 6,700-square-foot auditorium now features 800 stadium-style seats and all-new audiovisual systems.

“Theatergoers in the back of the old auditorium had trouble seeing the stage and hearing the performers,” says Legat Project Manager Jeff Sandberg.

“The renovations significantly increase the floor slope to create excellent views from every seat in the house, plus the new systems provide crystal-clear sound.”

This “sound shaping” was modeled by Legat’s consultants (Schuler Shook, Talaske, Advanced Communications), which found the ideal slope and shape to maximize the experience of every audience member.

The renewed auditorium has four large wood veneer “clouds” that stretch between the stage and the back wall to further improve acoustics. Every surface in the new theater is shaped to allow a person in the back of the theater to hear someone on stage speaking in a normal voice��without a microphone.

Handicap upgrades were also done to improve seat-to-stage accessibility and designated seating areas for people in wheelchairs. Supporting spaces include an adjacent scene shop with garage doors that open directly to the stage and outdoors, a new dressing and makeup rooms, and storage.

A highlight is the new river-inspired lobby, which is part of the 12,500 square foot addition. It winds between the Performing Arts Center’s two entries and separates performance and instructional spaces. A curving glass wall encourages lobby activity and helps to build anticipation for the evening’s performance.

During the Center’s open house, many guests admired the curving stone wall in the lobby. Inspired by Moline’s location between two rivers, this “river wall” starts outside the building and runs the length of the lobby to connect both entrances.

Part of the project is the addition of a multipurpose room that doubles as a black box performance space. This room, equipped with a small stage and audiovisual/lighting systems, hosts smaller performances and practice sessions when the larger auditorium is booked. Dance, cheer, and other groups can also use the black box for rehearsals. Offices, practice rooms, and storage spaces are located between the classrooms.

The Performing Arts Center was named after philanthropist, arts enthusiast, and businessman Bob Bartlett, a figure who devoted much of his time and resources for the betterment of Moline and its residents. His influence can be seen in everything from establishment of the John Deere Classic (charity golf tournament) and sponsorship of nursing student scholarships to donations to institutions such as schools, Two Rivers YMCA, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley.

At the dedication ceremony, Dr. Deborah Bracke, chairman of the Robert E. Bartlett Family Foundation sums it up best by calling the new center a “vital hub of creativity and engagement; a state on which our hopes and dreams for the City of Moline can be achieved.”

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Arnhold Hall is home to the university’s jazz school and it will soon house the Mannes College of Music, currently located 70 blocks away in the city’s Upper West Side. Mannes will occupy roughly 39,500 square feet within the building and will use specific materials, colors and graphics to give it a more distinct architectural identity within the shared space. Mannes’ 300 students will enjoy new custom built classrooms, practice rooms and performance spaces all outfitted with state-of-the-art sound technology, as well as enhanced opportunities for collaboration with other New School divisions. As Mannes Prep students as young as four years of age will also be using the new facilities, spaces will be flexible and accommodate a variety of programs and learners.
The renovated facility will also become the new home of The New School for Drama, as well as a unique “glass box” theater on the ground level. This glass-encased venue will allow passersby to catch a glimpse of the performing arts action from the street.

Establishing these new classrooms and practice and performance spaces will require the first through fourth floors of the Arnhold Building to be largely gutted. The top floor will undergo an extensive renovation and upward expansion in the project’s second phase to accommodate an orchestra-sized practice room.

Deborah Berke Partners of New York will develop the building’s interior and furniture, fixtures and equipment program, and crafted the Arnhold Building master plan. Akustiks of South Norwalk, Conn., will serve as the acoustical engineer and Robert Silman Associates of Washington is the structural engineer.

“Everyone at The New School is revved up about the convergence of Mannes moving to Arnhold Hall, the current renovation and exciting future plans for the building, and the coming together of the three performing arts schools into one brand new division: The College of The Performing Arts,” said Richard Kessler, executive dean for performing arts at The New School speaking with New York on Feb. 25. “All of this will allow us to expand opportunities in world class performing arts education and performances, while partnering with the rest of The New School to engage the much broader community [more] than ever before.”

The total cost of renovations and an estimated completion date for the project have not yet been disclosed, though Mannes College of Music is expected to move into its new home by fall 2015.
Following the relocation, the existing Mannes College of Music building will be acquired by the private, PK-8 Manhattan Country School, which is currently based on the city’s Upper East Side. The move to the six-story, nearly 100-year-old building, as well as the subsequent renovation, will nearly double the school’s square footage.

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Heery International, with offices in Baltimore, designed the $33 million center that stands at 112,000 square feet.

“The ultimate goal, in our collaboration with the Heery International Design Team, was to integrate state-of-the-art medical equipment with high fidelity simulation. This integration will provide our students with the ability to demonstrate competency in the laboratory setting before working with actual patients,” said Angela D. Anderson, dean of health sciences, in a statement.
The new center will also expand the school’s health science programs. The new facility will provide classrooms and laboratory space for programs including diagnostic medical sonography, physician’s assistant and surgical technology.

The construction of the Center for Health Studies was prompted by an increasing demand for health care professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2010 and 2020 job opportunities for registered nurses will grow by 26 percent, for pharmacy technicians 32 percent, 28 percent for radiologic technologists and the need for emergency medical technicians will grow by 33 percent. The community college is also expecting to see their student population flourish by about 33 percent over the next eight years. The construction of the new center will be able to accommodate the growing student population and offer more opportunities to that population in the upcoming job market.

“The college partnered with state and county governments to create the Center for Health Studies in response to a growing demand for trained healthcare providers,” Anderson said. “Opening the new center allows the college to expand and enhance existing clinical programs and develop new areas of specialization to address workforce shortages,” she added.”

The center will include 11 smart classrooms, one health science computer lab, 26 simulation labs, 52 faculty offices, 19 staff and administrative offices, a collegian center and advisement space.

The building will house existing health science and technology programs in health information management and medical coder biller; nursing; radiography; respiratory therapy; nuclear medicine; emergency medical technician on the basic, intermediate and paramedic levels; medical assistant; optometric assistant; and pharmacy technician.

Students will attend classes in the new Center for Health Studies beginning Aug. 27.

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