The adaptive reuse of the 1,300,000-square-foot historic Sears building (1927), through a remarkable collaboration of a non-profit arts-based organization with regional and national partners, has led to the creation of Crosstown Concourse, a dynamic “vertical urban village” of residential, commercial, retail, health and wellness, arts and culture, and education. A new flexible ~420-seat theatre and flexible music space called the ‘Green Room’ was developed to support Crosstown Arts and the surrounding Memphis community. The theatre can transform from endstage to flat floor using retractable seating risers and a seating pit and is fitted with a fly system and adjustable acoustics to support a range of programs from film, drama, live music, dance, and lectures. Akustiks provided the acoustic design of the theater and worked closely with a local artist – Ben Butler, benbutlerart.com, to develop a unique acoustical diffusion solution of hand-cut raw poplar wood that can be seen throughout the theater. Akustiks also provided a comprehensive audio-video design solution to support the full range of programs envisioned by Crosstown Concourse and Crosstown Arts.
Project Location: Memphis, TN
Client Name: Crosstown LLC
Project Name: Crosstown Theater
Architect: LRK / Spatial Affairs Bureau
Theatre Consultant: Theatre Projects
Project Year: 2018
Project Size: ~420 seat Flexible Theater
Project Cost: US $10,200,000
Awards
- AIA National Awards, Institute Honor Award for Architecture, 2019
- Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence, Finalist, 2019
- AIA Tennessee, Award of Excellence, 2019
- Congress for the New Urbanism Charter Awards, Grand Prize, 2018
- AIA Gulf States, Honor Citation, 2018
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