Acoustic Window Installation in the Kennedy Center
04/01/2020
While historic theaters are gorgeous, they rarely retain acoustic standards as they age. When it comes time to renovate, it’s important to preserve the historical flavor of a building while ensuring the acoustics are optimal for live concerts. This was the challenge faced when the Kennedy Center remodeled the Terrace Theater.
About the Kennedy Center
Since the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in Washington, D.C., in 1971, it has been in a state of evolution. Designed by famed Architect Edward Durell Stone and constructed between 1964 and 1971, the project was the culmination of Eleanor Roosevelt’s idea in the early 1930s to create a national cultural center that would prohibit discrimination of cast or performance and be a venue for everyone in the U.S. Originally named the National Cultural Center, the venue became the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after JFK’s assassination in late 1963. It was renamed to be a living memorial to the president because the center’s inclusive mission embodied many of the principles JFK stood for during his presidency.
The Terrace Theater was the main focus of this project. The Terrace Theater is 30,000 square feet and seats 487. Despite being one of the smaller theaters in the Kennedy Center, it’s one of the busiest venues.
The Challenge
The entire Terrace Theater needed to be taken out of the 1970s both to improve aesthetics and acoustics as well as to meet and exceed modern accessibility requirements. The current acoustics were insufficient for both performances as well as in the crew space. St. Cloud Window was tasked with finding an acoustic solution for the crew space.
The Solution
St. Cloud Window delivered high acoustic SCW960-A7 windows with sound transmission rating of STC48 for interior sound control, so when an actor needs a spotlight or a scene requires day turning into night, the production technicians inside the control room can work, and interact, without interfering with the performance on stage.
The Result
The renovation to Terrace Theater brings it into the modern-day, with a warm, sleek design that meets acoustic needs. Accessibility upgrades also further improved acoustics. The high acoustic control room windows provide the technical crew the environment needed to work their own particular magic so you can enjoy the full impact of the stage performance.
St. Cloud Window is also proud to have also installed SCW960-A7 high acoustic fixed windows in the Kennedy Center Family Theater in 2012.
For more examples of our work, check out our full project page.