Cincinnati Ballet had become a victim of its own success, according to company president and CEO Scott Altman. “We were bursting at the seams in our old building. We had simply outgrown the facility,” Altman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
In September, Cincinnati Ballet moved into a new home that can accommodate the growing needs of its two dance companies and dance academy: the purpose-built $30.8 million Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance.
Expansive windows allow natural light to fill almost every space in the building, including the offices and the wardrobe department, which had been housed underground in the company’s former home. Some studios look out onto expanses of trees; others offer views of downtown.
At 62,000 square feet, the Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance is more than 60% larger than its previous home. The center includes nine dance studios, one of which has a mobility lift system that provides a new level of mobility to students with physical disabilities. The facility also features large dressing rooms, public lounges, break rooms for performers, a 140-seat performance space, and a recording studio.
The new building consists of nine studios. Photo: Brad Feinknopf
“This new Ballet Center is a dream,” Altman said.
The owners and the architects, GBBN, wanted the open, accessible design to embody Cincinnati Ballet’s mission to break down the stereotype that ballet is only for a certain group of people—and illustrate the idea that dance is for everyone. For its design, GBBN received an AIA Cincinnati Architecture Honor Award.
The Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance joins a local arts district that includes other major cultural institutions, including the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Owner: Cincinnati Ballet
Design architect and architect of record: GBBN
MEP engineer: dbHMS
Structural engineer: Schaefer
General contractor/construction manager: Messer Construction
Related Stories
Performing Arts Centers | Aug 17, 2020
LA’s Greek Theater restoration completes
Page & Turnbull led the project in collaboration with design firm Rios.
Performing Arts Centers | Jan 7, 2020
China’s Wuxi Taihu Show Theater is inspired by the country’s largest bamboo forest
Steven Chilton Architects designed the project.
Performing Arts Centers | Oct 14, 2019
A new performance venue completes in one of the world’s densest cities
The Xiqu Center is the first venue in the world designed for classical Chinese Opera.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 65 Cultural Sector Construction Firms for 2019
Whiting-Turner, Turner, PCL, Clark Group, and Gilbane top the rankings of the nation's largest cultural facility sector contractors and construction management firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 70 Cultural Sector Engineering Firms for 2019
Jacobs, Arup, EXP, BRPH, and Thornton Tomasetti head the rankings of the nation's largest cultural facility sector engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
Top 110 Cultural Sector Architecture Firms for 2019
Gensler, Populous, DLR Group, Stantec, and Perkins and Will top the rankings of the nation's largest cultural facility sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
2019 Cultural Facility Giants Report: New libraries are all about community
The future of libraries is less about being quiet and more about hands-on learning and face-to-face interactions. This and more cultural sector trends from BD+C's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Cultural Facilities | Sep 11, 2019
The Kennedy Center expands for the first time since its 1971 debut
The REACH, with three pavilions on a generous lawn, adds openness and light to this performance space.
Performing Arts Centers | Jan 31, 2019
The Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center begins construction
AUX Architecture designed the building.
Performing Arts Centers | Jan 24, 2019
This is the first performance complex in Asia devoted to pop music
Reiser + Umemoto designed the facility.