![]() “That’s a design element that shows it’s an addition to the historic façade,” Semtner said. The addition features a hyphen, a design element that shows it's not original. FSB asked for input from both the State and City’s Historic Preservation Staff and the City’s Downtown Design Review Committee, and who provided feedback including a request for the building to have a “hyphen.” Adding nearly 5,000 square feet to a building constructed in the 1930s meant trying to find the architectural feel and materials. The project has been a challenge for a couple reasons, said Semtner and Ketch. Restrooms are being added to second floor. The theater’s interior is being repainted with the historic blue seen in the Hall of Mirrors. ![]() Larger seats are being installed as well and the historic lights will be redone. The firm worked with Schuler Shook on the updates to the theater’s interior, which included a full technology update. The addition on the Civic Center’s north side sits out about 20 feet from the existing building and is about 100 feet in long, said David Ketch, architecture director at FSB. Rendering courtesy FSB.Īt the Freede, theater goers can expect a much higher-caliber experience in the venue once the updates and 4,500-square-foot addition is finished. The Freede's renovated interior will feature colors seen in the Meinders Hall of Mirrors. The men’s first floor restrooms are being renovated and more dressing rooms are being added in the back of the house area. Evolv Express can screen 3,000 people an hour for weapons, helping to keep the line moving and allowing people to get to their seats in time. The building’s main entrance will also have a new security system, first installed at Frontier City this summer. ![]() The north bar will be housed in a glassed-off area for VIPs. The stairs near the theater, donned in red, are being removed as well to create more space.Ī new central bar, serving spirits and coffee, is being built closer to the theater’s exterior wall, though two other bars are being added to the north and south side on the first floor. In the Thelma Gaylord lobby, the renovation plans call to remove the ticket booth, the glass walls and the bar, creating a more open space. The firm was the program manager for the original MAPS. This is FSB’s fourth time to be involved with work at the Civic Center. While it’s forecasted to be 24 months of work, construction will be done in phases around the Civic Center’s events. The Thelma Gaylord lobby area was also seen as underutilized, leading to a crowded area around the performance area, said John Semtner, principal with FSB Architects and Engineers.Ĭonstruction is expected to start in early 2021. The $9 million budget for the addition, as well as the updates in the rest of the building, was approved in the 2017 general obligation bond package. That first time on stage can be life-changing and we want to make sure Oklahoma City has a top-notch place for those experiences.” It’s about all the local musicians just trying to make a name for themselves or the students performing in a dance recital. “It’s not just about the national Broadway tours. “Theaters of all sizes are important to a community,” she said. One finding that came out of that study was how to better utilize the Freede, which needed updates to be more aesthetically pleasing as well as compliant with requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act. “The study helped us find ways to increase utilization.” “We have lots of hidden pockets that are underutilized,” said Gray. The study identified about $40 million in improvements that could be done in the building. In 2013, the Civic Center Foundation and the building’s owner, the City of Oklahoma City, hired a national firm to study the entire facility and see how it could best be used. Freede is one of several performance areas in the building, including the largest venue, the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Center, as well as CitySpace Theatre and the Meinders Hall of Mirrors. “This was something she hoped to see decades ago.”Ī new entrance and lobby for the Freede Little Theatre has been on the City of Oklahoma’s City’s radar since the first Metropolitan Area Projects initiative, when the Civic Center underwent millions of dollars in upgrades.īut as the budget evolved for the renovations, the Freede addition was left for another time. We were really hoping to not only show her the plans, but she’d get to see it finished,” said Elizabeth Gray, executive director of the Civic Center Foundation. “It’s really unfortunate that we just lost Jose Freede. The Civic Center Music Hall will soon undergo another round of renovations and will get a new entrance and lobby to the Freede Little Theatre. Rendering provided by FSB.Ī longtime dream of the late Jose Freede is finally coming true. The addition will sit on the north side of the Civic Center Music Hall.
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