Prominently located on Jefferson Avenue, the new 8,500 square foot, Joy and Boysie Bollinger Performing Arts Building will enliven its centrally located site, while giving Newman’s performing arts program a new identity on campus. The project was conceived to accommodate the school’s long neglected music program, which currently practices in the school’s original gymnasium, and to ensure a home to nurture the growth of current students as well as to attract future students and faculty.

The new facility is nestled between one of the campus’ original structures, the Jefferson Building, and the Robinson House—the home for Newman’s Head of School. As such, the design team made great consideration to the exterior design so that it fits harmoniously with its surroundings. The façade pulls from the 3-part organization of the Jefferson Building in a subtle contemporary expression, so as to complement and not compete with the historic structure. The glazed façade stitches together the varying levels of both buildings, and highlights the juxtaposition of the old and new, while filling the building with an abundance of natural light.

The new facility provides the school with two rehearsal halls, practice rooms and music support spaces. Due to the constricted site, these program elements were organized into a compact configuration setback from the adjacent buildings to create a multi-story gallery surround. In addition to the façade, three large skylights provide natural light to the now obstructed classrooms and optimize viewing conditions for the students’ artwork to be displayed throughout.