St. Tammany Parish Performing Arts Center exterior rendering. (Illustration by James Piatt)
By 2020, residents in and around Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish will enjoy a new 1,000-seat performing arts center that will serve as the foundation of a new Cultural Arts District situated along the banks of the Tchefuncte River in the easternmost part of the state, not far from New Orleans. Boston-based Wilson Butler Architects was selected to create a master plan and design for the project, one that will combine the location’s famous wetlands, river and piney woods to mesh with interior features of the $50-million venue.
“The hallmark of this entire process is the people,” said Scott Wilson, director of Wilson Butler Architects. “Our goal is to develop a design that strikes the right balance between integrating the arts within the community, and allowing generations of future patrons to enjoy a distinct experience, one that they will want to experience again.”
The first phase of the project includes construction of the 70,000-square-foot performing arts center, featuring the 1,000-seat auditorium with box seats, a proscenium stage, orchestra shell and pit, full back-of-house capabilities, a lobby and sponsor amenities (both with direct connection to the natural landscape), administrative space and a catering kitchen with food service support space.
Wilson Butler came on board this past spring for a project that dates to 2014, when a feasibility study prepared by AMS Planning & Research garnered input from user groups, the public and other stakeholders. The venue’s programming is expected to include live concerts spanning all musical genres, festivals, art exhibits and theatre performances.
“One of the most unique things is the site that we have been given to work with and how much it offers,” said Jessie Boudreau, project manager working on the St. Tammany Parish Performing Arts Center project for Wilson Butler, currently involved in the concept design phase. “There are opportunities for not only providing an incredible performing arts center but the ability to extend the experience within the venue to the outdoors into nature to completely capitalize on everything that is there.”
Boudreau said that in the early planning one goal is to make very strong connections with the interior so that when guests are inside, they are very connected to the outside with expansive views of the natural environment.
“We are also looking to provide outdoor patios and pavilions in the natural wetlands,” she said. “In the bigger picture, the Cultural Arts District is trying to further activate the arts community and provide educational opportunities for people in the parish to learn about the natural environment.
“Part of the overall master planning also includes a vision for a future outdoor amphitheater, which opens up more opportunities for outdoor festivals and other exhibit opportunities for the local arts community.”
As one of the state’s most populous parishes, and its most affluent, residents currently travel one hour to New Orleans or farther west to Baton Rouge to enjoy a similar experience that will soon be theirs.
“This will bring an experience to St. Tammany Parish that they don’t currently have,” Boudreau said. “It also opens up educational opportunities for students that might currently go to New Orleans or travel outside of the parish for educational training in the arts.”
Other components in the long-term vision on the 128 acres of land donated by real estate developer Bruce Wainer of All State Financial include a hotel, nature trails and children’s museum.
From the perspective of Wilson Butler, it is a project that differs from many of their other endeavors.
“Most of the performing arts centers we’ve worked on are in more urban environments,” Boudreau said. “With this, we can really integrate the nature into the experience. That is something that’s very unique for us, to be in this kind of setting. We are very excited about working with the unique enviroment that will be part of a beautiful and long-lasting Cultural Arts District.”
Interviewed for this article: Scott Wilson, (617) 720-7127; Jessie Boudreau, (617) 720-7127