The new 93,000-square-foot arts center — designed with clean lines, steely hues and concrete and metal material — stands in contrast to its brick surroundings, a design concept created by international architectural firm Snøhetta.

The firm, with offices in Oslo, Norway and New York City, designed the center with a number of public areas to draw visitors in, as well as functional work areas with plenty of natural light. The center is Snøhetta’s first completed project in the United States; its 9/11 museum in New York City opens in 2012.

The building is a response to the smooth planes of the northwest Ohio landscape, with its far horizons and big sky, according to Craig Dykers, principal and founding member of Snøhetta. The center houses classrooms, rehearsal spaces, performance areas and office space and is the new home of the Department of Theatre and Film. It features a walk-through that connects the visual arts campus to the performing arts campus, creating a more unified arts environment to inspire creativity across disciplines, according to design firm officials.

Funding for the project came from Frederic and Mary Wolfe of Perrysburg, Ohio. A major gift from Thomas and Kathleen Donnell of Findlay, Ohio, supported the construction of the main theater, which bears their name. Toledo, Ohio-based The Collaborative was the local partner on the project, and Ryan Miller of the campus design and construction office served as project manager.

A state-assisted, residential institution, the University has an enrollment of about 20,000 students on two campuses and nearly 900 full-time faculty members.

Snøhetta worked closely with international theater design and planning firm Theatre Projects, with U.S. headquarters in South Norwalk, Conn., who provided programming, concept design, theatre planning and theatre equipment design and specification.

The school will offer a public tour on Dec. 9, led by Dykers and Vanessa Kassabian, Snøhetta’s senior architect. The building will open to the public at 9 p.m. with a showcase of ArtsX, the university’s arts programs. Faculty and students from the Department of Theatre and Film, the School of Art and the College of Musical Arts will present performances, demonstrations, exhibits and sales.

Project Team

Architect of Record: The Collaborative Inc.
Design Architect: Snøhetta
Theater Design and Planning Consultant: Theatre Projects Consultants
Acoustician: Akustiks
Construction Consultant: Barton Malow Co.
Testing Agency: TTL Associates
Commissioning Consultant: STAN and Associates Inc.
Lead Contractor: Rudolph-Libbe
MEP/Structural Engineer: Korda/Nemeth Engineering
Scheduling Consultants: Construction Process Solutions LTD
Electrical Contractor: Lake Erie Electric
HVAC Contractor: Vaughn Industries
Plumbing Contractor: Bayes Inc.
Fire Protection: S.A. Communale
Sound: Torrence Sound Equipment
Materials: Quality Building Supplies
Electrical Contractor: Graybar Electric
Steel Erection: Henry Gurtzweiler Inc.
Roof and Wall Panels: C.L. Rieckhoff Co. Inc.
Finishes: Valley Interior Systems
Stage Equipment: Janson Industries

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Credit: Sam Fentress Photography

The two-story Skip Viragh Center for the Arts’ ground floor houses a 1,000-seat auditorium with orchestra pit, a 150-seat block box theater and scene shop. The ground floor also features studios for ceramics, drawing and glass teaching.

The center’s second floor features jazz and band rehearsal rooms, a graphics design studio, a photography darkroom and classrooms.

The Chaminade Drama Department hosts a minimum of three main stage productions every year, with two full-stage production plays and an annual musical.

The project was funded with a $28 million gift from the Viragh family.

The school held a grand opening event featuring a public performance by the St. Louis Symphony, sponsored by project contractor S. M. Wilson & Co., a St. Louis-based construction management, design/build and contracting firm. St. Louis-based Hastings & Chivetta served as the architect.

“This is a spectacular new facility for the faculty, students, parents and alumni of Chaminade as well as the entire community,” said Scott Wilson, president of S. M. Wilson.

The mission of the private prep school’s Fine Arts department follows a Catholic Marianist tradition to “cultivate the spiritual, intellectual, creative, and aesthetic sensibilities of every student” through music, performing arts, and visual arts,” according to the school’s website.

The program aims to focus on craft — the physical, technical, hands-on nature of the arts, critique — the verbal and written articulation of artists’ ideas about art, and its appreciation and history.

The school offers more than ten different music ensembles, including concert bands, jazz bands, jazz combos, percussion ensembles and pep band, with about one third of its students involved in the music program.

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