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Bowdoin College, Memorial Hall

Brunswick, Maine, USA
Brian Vanden Brink Photography

First opened in 1882, the neo-gothic Memorial Hall was an academic facility until 1955 when it was converted to include a 610-seat theatre. Decades later, the 18,000 square foot building was remade once again. The project team gutted, renovated, and expanded the facility, adding another 18,000 square feet of performance, rehearsal, and support spaces—all with the critical additions of modern building systems, amenities, and accessibility.

The team carefully preserved the building’s façade while keeping the style of the addition in harmony with the campus aesthetic. The result is an elegant joining of 19th century stained glass and granite with contemporary glass and steel. The drama theatre received safety, seating, and equipment upgrades as well as new side balconies and acoustic isolation treatments. A rehearsal room was added below the theatre, and on the third floor, trusses were removed to make room for a dance studio. The addition includes an expanded lobby and a new studio theatre, which features a custom mobile telescopic seating system that can be arranged in end stage, thrust, arena,  and traverse configurations.

Brian Vanden Brink Photography
owner:
Bowdoin College
architect:
Grieves Worrall Wright & O'Hatnick
acoustician:
Kirkegaard Associates
users:
Bowdoin College Theatre and Dance Department and the Maine State Music Theater
spaces:
  • 610-seat multipurpose theatre
  • 150-seat studio theatre
construction type:
Renovation
theatre type:
Auditorium design/seating, College & university, Concept design, Flexible & studio theatres, Multipurpose theatres
services:
Concept design, theatre planning, and performance equipment design and specification
completion:
2000
Brian Vanden Brink Photography
Brian Vanden Brink Photography
Brian Vanden Brink Photography

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Harvard Business School, Klarman Hall Bard College, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts University of Virginia, Ruth Caplin Theatre

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