Culture

Howard Street Theatre

Evanston, Illinois | Completed 2019
Howard Street Theater Exterior

Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects worked with Theo Ubique Cabaret The­atre to cre­ate a new home for their award-win­ning ensemble.

Flex­i­bil­i­ty was key in design­ing a plan with the abil­i­ty to trans­form the move­able stage and seat­ing areas into numer­ous con­fig­u­ra­tions. Sup­port spaces are locat­ed at the rear of the build­ing and pro­vide a large open area cen­tered under the exist­ing bow truss struc­ture. Sup­port tracks for rig­ging, cur­tains, and move­able pan­els are locat­ed around this cen­tral space max­i­miz­ing the flex­i­bil­i­ty of the theatre.

The exist­ing façade need­ed repair and was replaced with a more effi­cient ther­mal and acousti­cal wall that blends into the exist­ing Howard streetscape in hue and scale. The weath­ered wood and fiber board wall rein­forces the char­ac­ter of the Theo Ubique The­atre while offer­ing a low-main­te­nance and eco­nom­i­cal solu­tion for long-stand­ing durability.

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Howard Street Theater 2
Howard Street Theater 3
Howard Street Theater 33
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Howard Street Theater 34

The flex­i­ble space fea­tures light­ing and sound infra­struc­ture to accom­mo­date a large num­ber of per­for­mance layouts.

Howard Street Theater 52
Howard Street Theater 51
Howard Street Theater 48

The exist­ing build­ing fea­tured an out­dat­ed glass and brick store­front. The new design re-clads the façade while build­ing on the char­ac­ter of the bowtruss frames inside. 

Howard 1

As with any cabaret the­atre, the bar is an impor­tant ele­ment. Con­struct­ed of reclaimed wood, this fea­ture com­pli­ments the exposed wood struc­ture while stay­ing true to the ​“raw” aes­thet­ic of Theo Ubique’s pri­or space.

IMG 2416
62 5 X9 A9979
1859 002
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