Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts

This major project in the heart of downtown Richmond involved the redevelopment of a half-city block (the former Thalhimer’s Block) and incorporated the addition of a new community theatre and a black box theater. The renovation of the ca. 1928 John Eberson-designed Lowes Atmospheric Theater, now known as the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts, serves as home and office for the Richmond Symphony, the Virginia Opera and the Richmond Ballet.

The renovation and expansion of the Carpenter Center and its 1,850-seat theatre included exterior street facade restoration with extensive terra cotta restoration, state-of-the-art new electrical and audio, an improved catwalk for lighting positions, a new stage house, balcony seating, lobby expansion, the doubling the number of public restrooms, added amenities for handicapped access, and a donor lounge. The renovation also included a new 200-seat studio theatre, gallery/retail space, a jazz club, rehearsal and dressing rooms, and offices. This project’s key challenges were its adjacency to a federal courthouse building and its close proximity in the central hub of downtown Richmond and Capitol Square.