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City historic preservation and design experts are giving early high marks to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s prospective overhaul of Hilbert Circle Theatre.
The plan, which is still in the early design stages, calls for extensive upgrades to the Monument Circle performance venue and back-of-house spaces in buildings along Washington Street.
The orchestra presented its plan for the updates Wednesday night in a preliminary review by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, which has purview because both the interior and exterior of Hilbert Circle Theatre are protected as historically significant, meaning the orchestra must have any plans to modify or renovate the structure reviewed and authorized.
IBJ first reported on the project Tuesday, with the ISO’s CEO sharing that the full scope of such an overhaul would cost tens of millions of dollars.
The group is considering numerous changes to the building, including the construction of a new rooftop event space and outdoor terrace at the theater that would overlook Monument Circle, a revamp of several interior lounge areas, and an overhaul of the Scioto Street alley to create a new covered walkway.
Generally, commissioners expressed support for the project and the orchestra’s effort to renovate the facility to maintain its social relevancy. The alley conversion—which would still leave Scioto Street accessible from Washington Street—was of particular interest to the panel, which expressed optimism about the cleanup of the space, but concern about whether other businesses that use the alley for delivery and trash would be negatively affected.
As proposed, the northern portion of the alley would be enclosed and polished to a high gloss, providing a more attractive and weather-friendly back entrance into the theater.
“I just hesitate with shutting that additional alley or street down for the symphony in that area, because if you’ve ever tried to … operate in those [buildings], it’s impossible to get your services with those alleys being cut off,” said Anson Keller, co-founder and principal of DKGR Architects. ”I just bring that up because it seems like the most insurmountable of the problems that this project might face.”
Keller said he’d like to see a workable solution reached between the orchestra and neighbors—other property owners along the alley would have to sign off on a portion of the site being vacated—before the group returns to request approval.
The orchestra consulted with Chicago-based theatrical design and planning firm Schuler Shook and real estate development strategist Hunden Partners to evaluate Hilbert Circle Theatre and the orchestra’s future needs. Indianapolis-based Schmidt Associates led the design team on the project and was the architect for the proposed renovations.
Built in 1916, Circle Theatre is the second-oldest surviving building on Monument Circle, according to the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. (Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1859, is the oldest.)
Designed by Indianapolis architectural firm Rubush & Hunter, it debuted as a movie house and venue for live performances. It continued in that role until closing in 1981. After a thorough renovation, it reopened in 1984 as the home of the ISO, which had been performing at Clowes Memorial Hall on the Butler University campus.
The plan also calls for renovations to lobby areas on the first and third floor, along with enlarging the Wood Room meeting space for events and programming.
The concept renderings show a new hospitality space called the Scioto Lounge and an updated version of the Maestro Gallery on the second floor. Each space would be outfitted with more modern furniture and fixtures, with the Maestro space adding a bar service area.
The organization also plans to introduce a new 700-square-foot city visitors center in a space directly west of Hilbert’s main doors—with access from the center to the theater itself—and an 1,100-square-foot Encore Lounge and coffee bar that offers egress to the first floor lobby. There would also be improvements made to back-of-house areas and infrastructure like HVAC systems, elevator replacements, laundry facilities, employee lounges, meeting rooms and storage areas.
The orchestra is also proposing the construction of an addition atop the front portion of Hilbert Circle Theatre to allow for a nearly 3,000-square-foot rooftop dining and lounge area with indoor and outdoor seating and a dedicated kitchen.
That space, which would have direct views of Monument Circle through a glass curtain wall, was also of interest to several of the commissioners, with most praising the concept but indicating apprehension about the current design as seen from the street.
“I support the things you’re doing on the interior and I that all those [changes] make sense and seem quite reasonable,” said Bill Browne, principal of Ratio Architects and chair of the commission. “I think the roofscape is a wonderful idea, but I think the design needs to really be looked at a bit more. I’m a little concerned about the height of it and the feel of it.
“It feels a little bit forward, and I don’t know whether there’s an opportunity to think about either angling it back or doing some things differently there … [to] help mitigate that and make it feel a little bit more integrated with the architecture. It feels a little bit sort of dropped on top right now.”
The theater was last renovated in 2013, when a $1 million gift from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. funded replacement of its 1,660 seats. The new renovation under consideration would not significantly affect the theater’s seating area or the appearance of the proscenium stage.
David Baker, a historic preservation architect and administrator for the city for more than 40 years who is now a member of the commission, said while he understands some of the concerns about the contrast between the historic structure and the proposed rooftop addition, he views the matter differently.
“I guess I always felt like the building had something on top of it, so putting something there just isn’t scary to me,” he said. He added that the set-back nature of the addition makes it seem less imposing from a street view.
Baker also encourage orchestra leadership to offer tours of the building for commission members, showcasing the changes that would be made, prior to returning with a formal request.
“If we could have a tour with the architects who could actually show us, ‘We’ll cut here, moving this to there,’ that sort of thing, because it’s very hard to understand that.”
Orchestra officials indicated support for providing such a walkthrough.
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