The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center was conceived as a timeless piece of architecture, drawing from the Gothic architectural traditions of the university, while contemporary in the design of its interior spaces. Our design of the new center provides a comprehensive performance facility for the university as well as the entire Southbend community. Envisioned as a regional resource that enhances the university’s contribution to the arts, its programming broadens the cultural offerings available to patrons of all ages and backgrounds, while also providing a primary venue for its diverse performing arts curriculum and creating a focal point and gateway for the university. The new center not only offers greatly enhanced performance spaces, but also allows the university’s music and film/television departments to grow and expand significantly. The facility includes a variety of performing and educational spaces organized around a central public lobby designed to foster interaction between students, faculty and the community, while providing access to each of the performance spaces.

Recognition

2003 Michigan Area Construction Industry Advancement Fund Excellence in Construction

Program & Highlights

900-seat concert hall
350-seat main stage theater
100-seat black box studio theater
200-seat THX cinema
100-seat organ/choral hall
80 seat flexible performer’s hall
16 film & television editing labs
2 film & television production rooms
recording studio and master control room

Collaborators

General Contractor: Turner Construction Company of Indiana
Civil Engineer: Ken Herceg & Associates, Inc.
Structural & MEP Engineers: Ove Arup & Partners
Lighting: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design, Inc.
Theater Consultant: Theatre Projects Consultants
Acoustics / AV: McKay Conant Brook, Inc.
Roofing Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Organ Builder: Paul Fritts
Landscape Architect: The Troyer Group