Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center

Alley Poyner Macchietto

Recognitions: 2020 Central States Region Awards (Historic Preservation or Restoration)

Project Description

The Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center is a combination of new construction and renovation of the historic Harvester II Building into a space for artists and the community to intersect through planned events, art classes and summer camps. In the historic part of the facility, the existing wood posts and beams were retained and exposed whenever possible, while precast and steel were utilized to shape the high volume, large span performance and practice spaces needed for theater and ballet events. Acoustics and vibration were heavily considered during design, as well as programmable artificial lighting and maximum control of daylighting. The firm worked with the Iowa West Foundation and Pottawattamie Arts, Culture and Entertainment (PACE) to design the 72,300 sf Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, a world-class facility that features the 282-seat Schlott Performing Arts Theater and a multi-use facility with artist studio space, exhibit areas, classrooms, rehearsal space, and more. This complex serves as a permanent home to Chanticleer Community Theater and the Kanesville Symphony Orchestra, as well as administrative offices and rehearsal space for the American Midwest Ballet and the Kitchen Council, a food startup incubator. The new addition is similar in materiality and scale to the original, historic building but takes on an obviously contemporary aesthetic and detailing. Dark metal panel and grey precast concrete reinforce the new offset rectangular forms. These forms subtly indicate interior function such as the theater fly rising high above the rest of the building or the dance rehearsal room set prominently above the street. Large areas of glazing allow glimpses of these and other functions and contrast with the century-old warehouse windows. The new brick selected was meant to match visually with the existing.