In downtown Cleveland at Playhouse Square lies a remarkable group of 1920s theaters that were saved from demolition in the 1970s and redeveloped over the past four decades to create a vibrant arts and entertainment district. Our firm has been involved with this revitalization process since the beginning, orchestrating a master plan that encompassed the theaters and commercial properties in adjacent buildings. Much of the original vision has been fully executed and Playhouse Square contributes more than $60 million to the local economy and attracts over 1,000,000 patrons to 1,000+ arts and entertainment events annually.

Using the master plan as a roadmap, our firm designed the initial restoration and reopening of the magnificent Palace, State, and Ohio Theatres, which resulted in Playhouse Square becoming a top tour spot for Broadway producers. We adapted an adjacent historic commercial building for Idea Center, an integrated broadcast media, performing arts, and education facility and new home for WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream (affiliates of National Public Radio and Public Television) and Playhouse Square Foundation’s arts education programs. We renovated the Hanna Theatre, sensitively converting its 1,400-seat house into an intimate 560-seat proscenium/thrust stage for repertory theater. At the Allen Theatre, we inserted a new 512-seat proscenium theater within the volume of the existing 3,080-seat movie palace and developed two new venues – a 300-seat multi-form theater and a 150-seat black box – in new construction. The complex is shared by the Tony Award-winning Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University’s Theatre Department. We completed a new 30-year master plan for the District in 2014, resulting in several additional projects such as the re-creation of the Ohio Theatre’s historic lobby and recent renovations to the seating, box office, and back of house areas in the Key Bank State Theatre.

Together with our forward-thinking client, we have creatively leveraged historic and new markets tax credits, sustainable design within historic structures, and community partnerships to turn Playhouse Square into a major visitor attraction and economic development catalyst for the city. We provided master planning; architecture; interiors; electrical, mechanical, and structural engineering; acoustics, audiovisual; information transport; life safety & security; lighting; preservation; signage/wayfinding; sustainability; and theater technical design services.