Diamond + Schmitt Architects to Redesign Denver's Boettcher Concert Hall

DENVER - Following two days of public presentations from six architectural candidates, the City and County of Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced today that the Boettcher Concert Hall Architect Selection Committee chose Diamond and Schmitt Architects and their local partner, Oz Architecture, to lead the design of the symphony hall renovation and expansion project. In addition to this news, three potential acousticians have been identified and a project manager has been named.

Javier Manzano © The Rocky

A respected and recognized leader in the design of performing arts venues, Toronto-based Diamond and Schmitt has received international acclaim for its work on cultural, civic and academic buildings. Diamond and Schmitt projects include Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the restoration and expansion of Detroit’s Max M. Fischer Music Center and the Sidney Harmon Hall in Washington, D.C. Diamond and Schmitt will be joined by Denver-based Oz Architecture, whose local body of work includes the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, the new Denver Justice Center Detention Facility, and the Visual Arts Complex at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The Boettcher Concert Hall Architect Selection Committee consisted of representatives from Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas, Denver’s Department of Public Works and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, as well as community and business leaders.

“We had an exceptionally strong list of impressive finalists for this project. All of the submissions were solid and exciting,” said Doug Adams, President and CEO of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. “In a very real sense, we selected a winner and had five firms tied for second place. The Colorado Symphony looks forward to working with Jack Diamond and team in the creation of a world-class symphony center for Denver.”

“I am thrilled that Diamond and Schmitt Architects and Oz Architecture have been chosen to lead the design of Denver’s new symphony center at the Denver Performing Arts Complex,” said Jack Finlaw, Director of Theatres and Arenas. “We were faced with the daunting challenge of choosing from among six highly talented, qualified and visionary design teams. Our thoughtful and hard working architect selection panel reached a consensus that Diamond and Schmitt and Oz are the firms best suited to accomplish the task of creating a world-class concert hall for the City of Denver and the CSO. The distinguished architects, who will lead the design team, bring a passion for their art form and a breadth of experience in designing performing arts venues and civic buildings in the United States and Canada. I am particularly impressed by Jack Diamond’s new opera house in Toronto, which has met universal acclaim.”

Built in 1978 and suffering from severe acoustical and accessibility issues, as well as major deterioration and a lack support space, Boettcher Concert Hall will undergo a major renovation and expansion, thanks to Denver voters who approved a $60 million bond initiative in November 2007. With an additional financial commitment of at least $30 million from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Denver’s new symphony center will provide the orchestra with an elegant and beautiful home that will include a state-of-the-art acoustical hall and dedicated spaces for public gatherings, educational offerings, artist dressing rooms, a music library, and rehearsal and office space.

The Boettcher Concert Hall renovation and expansion project is part of the Better Denver Program. Mayor John Hickenlooper, with civic leaders, staff, and citizens, challenged the Denver community to imagine a city with enhanced infrastructure and facilities to add to the quality of life. Through collaboration and stewardship, the Better Denver initiative was born. Better Denver – approved by Denver voters in 2007 – is a comprehensive effort by the City of Denver to invest in the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the many City amenities that touch our lives. Better Denver calls for the improvement, preservation, renovation and creation of new roads, libraries, parks, hospitals, public safety and cultural facilities. These improvements are being implemented over a five year period through 2012, and are funded by a $550 million voter-approved bond.