WHEELER THEATER – FORT WORDEN, WA

Located at the heart of Fort Worden’s historic cultural district, the Wheeler Theater offers an opportunity to create a dynamic and flexible performance and exhibition venue for the park. ORA collaborated with AMS and Fisher Dachs to provide feasibility study for the historic theater. The theater, once a cinema for soldiers based at Fort Worden, is currently used for music and theater performances. The theater lacks the adequate lobby and backstage area to meet the needs of the community and the types of programming envisioned for the theater. Because the building is on National Register of Historic Places, ORA worked closely with the State’s Parks Department to meet their design guidelines for rehabilitation of historic structures. The team studied a series of options to upgrade and restore the theater ranging from a modest upgrade and addition to a more ambitious renovation and 3,000 sf backstage and 1,500 sf lobby addition. Options were explored to allow phasing over time.

Image Credits: ORA