Untitled Document

The Miller Performing Arts Center was conceived to house the programs of music, dance and theater which had formerly occupied separate and rapidly deteriorating spaces on the Alfred campus. Located at the focal end of the main campus cross street, the new building establishes an order for campus academic building expansion. In organization and expression, the Performing Arts Center addresses two scales: the small scaled pedestrian environment on the street side; and the large scaled landscape on the valley side. Individual spaces for practice, costume working and design are visible to the street, while large music recital and dance studios occupy soaring spaces overlooking the valley to the west.

The 32,000 sf facility includes the following components: The C.D. Smith Flexible Theater a 55 by 55 foot square performance space with seating up to 250. The space features a “sprung” (two-level, shock absorbent) floor, important in preventing injuries to actors while also serving as a sound-proofing device. Except for the doors through which the audience enters, there is nothing that labels the empty space in terms of location of the stage. Above the space is a grid with a series of catwalks and railings that provide flexible hanging positions for lighting. There is a control booth for the stage manager and also a sound and recording booth, both featuring state-of-the-art equipment. The theater has the potential to open into the scene shop which can then serve as a traditional proscenium theater. The scene shop mimics the size of the theater to aid in moving constructed items.

The Rod Brown Studio, an acting and directing rehearsal hall, which allows several theater projects to take place simultaneously in the building. The Theater Department has access to a design studio, a rarity in undergraduate programs, and a well-fitted costume shop.

The Adelphi Dance Studio, is a spacious, double-height room. with a ceiling that soars to 28 feet to meet the two-story windows overlooking the valley below. The room also features a “sprung” floor and access to a storage area and two dressing rooms. Similar spaces and views can be found in the adjacent Brooks Music Rehearsal Hall and the Emerson Rehearsal Hall. All three spaces have audio/video recording and playback capability which is controlled through the theater's recording booth.

The Center also contains practice rooms for music, including a double-room for small ensemble practice, instrument storage areas, library of music, a library seminar room, class piano laboratory, faculty offices and a room to collect and display the history of performing arts at Alfred.

Completed in the Fall of 1995 in conjunction with the reconstruction of the street, the Miller Performing Arts Center has become a prominent landmark in the Alfred University landscape.

click to see larger image	The Miller Performing Arts Center was conceived to house the programs of music, dance and theater which had formerly occupied separate and rapidly deteriorating spaces on the Alfred campus. Located at the focal end of the main campus cross street, the new building establishes an order for campus academic building expansion. In organization and expression, the Performing Arts Center addresses two scales: the small scaled pedestrian environment on the street side; and the large scaled landscape on the valley side. Individual spaces for practice, costume working and design are visible to the street, while large music recital and dance studios occupy soaring spaces overlooking the valley to the west. The 32,000 sf facility includes the following components: The C.D. Smith Flexible Theater a 55 by 55 foot square performance space with seating up to 250. The space features a “sprung” (two-level, shock absorbent) floor, important in preventing injuries to actors while also serving as a sound-proofing device. Except for the doors through which the audience enters, there is nothing that labels the empty space in terms of location of the stage. Above the space is a grid with a series of catwalks and railings that provide flexible hanging positions for lighting. There is a control booth for the stage manager and also a sound and recording booth, both featuring state-of-the-art equipment. The theater has the potential to open into the scene shop which can then serve as a traditional proscenium theater. The scene shop mimics the size of the theater to aid in moving constructed items. The Rod Brown Studio, an acting and directing rehearsal hall, which allows several theater projects to take place simultaneously in the building. The Theater Department has access to a design studio, a rarity in undergraduate programs, and a well-fitted costume shop. The Adelphi Dance Studio, is a spacious, double-height room. with a ceiling that soars to 28 feet to meet the two-story windows overlooking the valley below. The room also features a “sprung” floor and access to a storage area and two dressing rooms. Similar spaces and views can be found in the adjacent Brooks Music Rehearsal Hall and the Emerson Rehearsal Hall. All three spaces have audio/video recording and playback capability which is controlled through the theater's recording booth. The Center also contains practice rooms for music, including a double-room for small ensemble practice, instrument storage areas, library of music, a library seminar room, class piano laboratory, faculty offices and a room to collect and display the history of performing arts at Alfred. Completed in the Fall of 1995 in conjunction with the reconstruction of the street, the Miller Performing Arts Center has become a prominent landmark in the Alfred University landscape.
	*Project Data* Completion Date: 1995 Total Area: 32,000 sf	Awards: • Masonry Construction, April 2000 • Brick in Architecture, September 1999 • International Architecture Yearbook, 1998 • BSA Honor Award for Architecture Publications 1999


Home \| Profile \| Projects \| Awards \| Publications \| Links \| Inquiries Copyright ©2004 Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects Inc.