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Architects: LMN Architects
- Area: 3729 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Lara Swimmer/ESTO, LMN Architects
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Manufacturers: Armagard, Ducharme, Fundermax GmbH, Kawneer
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Lead Architects: LMN Architects
Text description provided by the architects. Field Arts & Events Hall is a new performing arts and community gathering space on the city’s waterfront. The project celebrates local and regional artists, facilitates cultural enrichment in the area, and adds a new point of interest for visitors, entrepreneurs, and the local community. Adjacent to historic downtown Port Angeles, the building supports numerous arts organizations while enriching the lives of the broader community.
Steve Raider-Ginsburg, Executive & Artistic Director at Field Arts & Events Hall, comments: “I have never been in a building in Port Angeles that offers so much flexibility and accessibility. Visitors to the area now can attend a business luncheon on Monday in the conference center, a performance during the week in the auditorium, and then a jazz brunch in the lobby on the weekends. Since we celebrated the opening of the building, we have been busy almost every day and I have heard people say, ‘This is my fourth time at the Field Arts & Events Hall this week.’ As we embark on this new chapter, we are excited to welcome everyone to experience the building and to contribute to the Renaissance of the city post-covid. It is an honor to support the cultural vitality of the Pacific Northwest.” Julie Adams, Partner at LMN Architects, comments: “It has been a privilege to work with the team at Field Arts & Events Hall, and to participate in a project that amplifies the energy of the Port Angeles waterfront. The project has been designed to welcome the business, cultural, and creative communities under one roof, and to become a new destination for all in this region. Observing audience members mingling in the lobby pre- and post-performance, attending live productions in the performance hall, or attending events on the conference space with its expansive water and mountain views – all flawlessly choreographed by Field Hall’s hard-working staff – have resulted in some exceptional experiences. We hope the Port Angeles community and the visitors to the area enjoy the building for many seasons to come.”
The building includes a 500-seat multi-purpose performance hall to accommodate orchestral music, dance, dramatic theater, and amplified music events and festivals. The intimate, highly flexible multi-purpose theater is designed to optimize a wide range of artistic performances by local and regional arts groups. A second-level conference center with sweeping views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca creates an event destination unique to Port Angeles and the North Peninsula, with a 250-seat banquet capacity—dressing rooms and other backstage spaces, a catering kitchen, and an administrative suite support building operations. A fine art gallery, conference center, and coffee shop complement the performance space and welcome visitors to various activities throughout the year.
Port Angeles’ history and ecosystem are celebrated by the building’s design, giving users a chance to engage with the town’s culture and geography, while the building’s architectural gestures embrace the spectacular natural environment. Visitors arrive at a street-level urban entry, progressing up a feature stair where they are met by panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The cities’ history in the timber industry is represented by wood accents and natural materials throughout the building. A curtain wall constructed of regionally sourced timber mullions offers a 270-degree wrap-around view in the multi-level lobby and conference spaces. The wood lobby ceiling provides a sense of warmth in the public spaces in combination with integrated lighting that mimics the sunlight reflecting off the water adjacent to the site.
Cameron Irwin, Principal at LMN Architects, comments: “Field Arts & Events Hall is situated at the base of the Olympic Mountain Range along the shoreline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The arts center is the first component of a planned arts, culture, and science campus. Situated at the western end of the historic downtown Port Angeles, the facility represents the communal investment in the renewal of the downtown waterfront and a commitment to the artists and patrons in Port Angeles. “The building offers pedestrian connections to Front Street and the waterfront. The lobby draws visitors up to the second level, above the street and the surrounding buildings, offering panoramic views from the large ships in the working waterfront to the Olympic Mountain Range. The timber curtain wall brings the warmth and richness of the surrounding landscape into the interior of the building with a contemporary expression that recalls the region’s timber industry. With Field Arts & Events Hall completed, we are beginning to see how it’s becoming a vital component of the social infrastructure of the city, the region, and the state of Washington.”
Located where the mountains meet the sea, born of local ambition and persistence, and showcasing the local businesses and creative talents of the region, Field Arts & Events Hall will be a cultural hub in Port Angeles and the North Olympic Peninsula for decades to come.
