The Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts

Location

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Owner

Bainbridge Performing Arts

Collaborators +

Project Size

New area: 5,400 square feet

Renovated area: 11,300 square feet

Seating Capacity

219 auditorium

Project Status

Completed

Services

Architecture, Interior Design, Planning, Renovation + Adaptive Reuse

Just across Elliott Bay from Seattle, Washington, the Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts re-envisions a beloved community theater with a sensitive expansion and renovation, inaugurating a new era for the Bainbridge Island arts community. Reorienting the building to the axial plan of Bainbridge’s Town Square, the new state-of-the-art cultural space helps build a stronger connection to the civic heart of the island.

The 16,700-square-foot facility comprises 11,300 square feet of renovated area with a 5,400-square-foot expansion. A dramatic new sculptural roof and ceiling plane of expressed wood structure ties together the new program spaces and gives the building a clear identity. The wood-and-glass curtain wall encloses a double-height lobby space, immersing patrons in the lush woodland landscape during the day and creating a welcoming beacon at night. All told, the Buxton Center is set to reinvigorate the local arts community and add a new layer of activation to the cultural heart of Bainbridge Island.