FAYETTEVILLE -- TheatreSquared is one step closer to a new, larger home after choosing a design team for the project with the help of the Walton Family Foundation.
TheatreSquared announced Monday that it chose London-based theater planning firm Charcoalblue and New York-based Marvel Architects to design a 51,000-square-foot building across the street from its downtown home. The building would take the place of the 0.8-acre municipal parking lot on the southeast corner of West Avenue and Spring Street.
"We're calling on some of the best designers out there," said Martin Miller, TheatreSquared executive director. "We're just extremely excited."
The Walton Family Foundation's Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program, meant to support development of public places around the region, will foot the potentially multimillion-dollar cost, Miller said. TheatreSquared was one of three groups that received the program's help earlier this year for their expansion plans, giving it access to design firms from around the world that applied to be part of the program's pool.
"It was quite a climb to the top of that list," Miller said. "The flip side of that is what an incredible benefit [it is] to us."
The city and theater group are working on terms to either sell or lease the 54-space parking lot for the project. Mayor Lioneld Jordan's administration in September said an agreement could come early next year. The City Council voted last month without opposition to support the group's intent, which Miller called "a great shot in the arm."
"Thank you for pursuing this," Alderman Matthew Petty of Ward 2, which covers downtown Fayetteville, said at the time. "Because of these kinds of investments, the downtown is the heartbeat of the city."
The firms started working on designs Friday, and they should be ready to share publicly by spring, Miller said. He invited patrons and residents to call TheatreSquared and give their input about what should stay or be included. Public meetings about the project will be scheduled at some point, he added. The building could be ready to open by mid-2019.
Charcoalblue analyzed TheatreSquared's operations and needs earlier this year, leading the group to push for the expansion. TheatreSquared performs in part of the 20,000-square-foot Nadine Baum Studios, with administration offices and the scene shop off-site.
"When we first visited TheatreSquared and watched Bob Ford's Look Away, we were amazed to find, here in Northwest Arkansas, one of the best performances we'd seen all year," John Owens, principal of Charcoalblue's U.S. office, said in a news release. "That work deserves -- and, after touring Crystal Bridges, I can tell you this region is ready for -- a world-class theatre building."
Charcoalblue will make sure everything in the building serves the program, down to details such as where air conditioning vents go and whether sound carries throughout the structure, Miller said.
Marvel Architects' designs include the Brooklyn Public Library and the National Mall's Constitutional Gardens. TheatreSquared has begun interviews to find a local architect to join the team as well, according to the release.
Metro on 11/24/2015