KiMo THEATER

In Association with Pearson & Company
Completed: 2000
Construction Cost: $2.0 million

The project sought to bring the KiMo up to modern theater technological standards, while at the same time preserving and enhancing its historic character. A new spacious state-of-the-art control room was built on the main floor of the house. New lighting positions and a lighting bridge above the stage were integrated into the historic design. The bridge is sheathed in acoustically transparent perforated metal, but painted and lit to simulate a "solid" ornamental beam that previously existed in that location before a 1960 fire. New theatrical lighting slots are inconspicuously cut into the unornamented "sky" portions of the ceiling next to the beams, and set into vertical shafts to each side of the stage in a "black zone" where they blend into their surroundings. Sound absorbing acoustical batts in the house are covered with a stretched fabric system that replicates the color of the original plaster. Increasing the lighting level in the house to meet modern code and theatrical requirements required a new lighting design that balances the overall lighting to avoid "hot spots" and re-creates the ambiance of the original house. The project has received six awards, including two at the national level - a merit award from the United States Institute for Theater Technology and the prestigious National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.