THE ARTS BANK

PHILADELPHIA, PA

The ARTS moved in to the BANK on Broad Street as the first of the new performing arts facilities on the Avenue of the Arts. The roof top sign announces the arrival of the ARTS BANK as a jazzy addition to Philadelphia’s vernacular tradition of buildings with idiosyncratic tops.

Major alterations were required to create a 240-seat theater, dance studio and cafe. Backstage facilities for this professional presenting house include large dressing rooms, green room, wardrobe room, control areas, stage management offices and an office for the building administration.

Complete modernization provides new building systems and accessibility to every public space, administrative and performance area. There are plenty of new bathrooms, especially for women. Energy-efficient building systems provide ultra-quiet heating and cooling. Special construction isolates Broad Street subway and traffic noise from the theater.

New designs and modern equipment do not overpower the personality of the historic Bank. The new theater infrastructure is laid over the existing architecture, with a transparency that allows both the original building and the new renovation to be seen. Respectful rehabilitation preserves historic resources and provides new, highly functioning spaces.

Completed: 1994
Cost: $4.5 Million