Walnut Street Theatre Addition

The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809, is America’s oldest theatre and a National Historic Landmark. The original building at the corner of 9th and Walnut Streets has undergone many interior renovations in its more than 200-year history, and contains a large proscenium theater as well as an intimate performance studio on the third floor. The focus of the new three-story building addition will be a 12,000 SF state-of-the-art “theater in the round” which will have a fully-trapped performance level, seating for 380, an orchestra area, a technical booth, and a tiered overhead catwalk structure to support lighting. The new building will be located immediately to the east of the existing structure, and will connect to the existing building through a new lobby. Also included in the new structure will be costume and dressing rooms in support of the new theater, two large rehearsal rooms fronting Walnut Street, and a roof deck for theater patrons. At the ground level the Walnut Street Theater will create a 9,000 SF shell space for future use as a retail or restaurant space, as well as a loading dock to serve the entire building.