The City of Lewisville established the goal of revitalizing its downtown or “Old Town” area. A principal element of the revitalization is the development of the Lewisville Center for the Creative Arts. The goal is to use the Center as a tool to enhance activity in the downtown area while simultaneously providing a much-needed facility for various community arts organizations.
While the major exterior finish materials are brick and cast stone to comply with the “Old Town Design Guidelines,” the use of wood was an integral feature of the design of the project. The 297-seat proscenium theatre uses wood wall panels tilted at various precise angles to “tune” the space acoustically and to present a visual rhythm reminiscent of the notes on a music score. Darker horizontal wood stripes circumscribe the walls and tie the wood wall paneling to the wood proscenium opening surround at the stage.
The Lewisville Center for the Creative Arts provides an activity anchor to the west end of “Old Town”, while a new rail transit center station is located at the east end. These two activity magnets anchoring both ends of “Old Town” will encourage the redevelopment of the downtown area between them with shops, restaurants and public services.
Renamed the MCL Grand Theater, the 38,887-square-foot project features the following major components:
- 297-seat Proscenium Theatre with fly loft and support spaces
- 3,000-square-foot Black Box Theatre with support spaces
- 2,400-square-foot Multi-Purpose Rehearsal Hall and Ballet Studio
- 2,400-square-foot Art Gallery with movable walls for presentation options
- Five 400-square-foot Art Studios with adjacent outdoor studio plaza
- Arts Administration offices
- Catering Kitchen
- 100’ x 140’ Entry Courtyard equipped for outdoor theatrical productions, festivals, ceremonies, and social receptions.
