Get ready, America: One of the nation’s most venerated cultural institutions is set for a landmark expansion. In a ceremony attended by Vice President Joe Biden, ground was broken last Thursday on a 65,000-square-foot addition to Washington, D.C.’s Edward Durell Stone–designed John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The arts institution, which opened in 1971, quickly became the go-to venue for music, dance, and theater in the U.S. capital, as well as serving as a “living memorial” for the 35th president.
The plan, crafted by New York–based Steven Holl Architects, comprises three alluringly angular white concrete–and-glass-clad pavilions that will contain rehearsal and educational spaces. (One new volume will jut out over the Potomac River and house an outdoor stage.) In true Hollsian fashion, the scheme blurs distinctions between structure and site, with much of the added square footage occurring below grade and topped with terraced lawns and water features.
Construction is scheduled to wrap up in 2017.
