Kirksey Architecture and Steinberg Hart collaborated to design Stephen F. Austin State University’s 30,000-sf fine arts performance venue addition and renovations of related spaces within the 77,000-sf 1958 L.E. Griffith College of Fine Arts building. The addition included the development of multiple new performance venues, including a 300-seat and 125-seat flexible theater and related spaces to accommodate past and future growth in SFA’s fine arts academic programs. The existing theater was extensively renovated, so the 900-seat venue includes upgraded finishes, stage rigging systems, and lighting throughout.

Beyond the development of the new performance venues, additional spaces include design studios, movement studios, rehearsal spaces, costume design and creation areas, and multiple storage areas for scene and prop storage. The new design solved the challenge of the need for a main entry and enlargement of the current lobby. The updated 3,000-sf two-story lobby accommodates various campus functions and an art gallery space for the Visual Arts department to display student work and traveling exhibitions.

The exterior of the building includes dynamic new façade panels or “Dragon Scales,” which represent movement, rhythm, and drama—directly relating to the programs within the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts.

Design: Kirksey Architecture and Steinberg Hart
Photography: Joe Aker | Aker Imaging