The Rehabilitation of St. Peter's Church into the Linda Gross Theater for the Atlantic Theater Company entailed the transformation of a 19th century church into a 21st century performing arts venue. The adaptive reuse for the landmark theatre in Chelsea was essentially a gut of the entire interior space, leaving only the walls and roof. By excavating down, we created a new lower level for a lobby with concession stand, dedicated public restrooms and a coat check. A workshop, wardrobe room and storage are also included at the lower level.

The auditorium floor level was dropped an additional three feet, allowing the space more height and improving sightlines. The rear brick wall was demolished in order to accommodate more space for the seating, bringing the seat count from 165 to 199.

The new basement almost doubles ATC’s square footage without altering the overall appearance of the building nor losing the character of the interior. Atlantic’s Artistic Director, Neil Pepe, explains “We kept the rubble foundation and then underpinned beneath it with concrete. So as you’re walking downstairs, you go from brick to stone rubble to concrete and it’s really like you’re walking through history.”

SOURCES: http://stage-directions.com/4592-home-renovation.html Written by Michael S. Eddy Published: 10.01.2012 http://www.playbill.com/article/felicity-huffman-and-william-h-macy-host-reopening-gala-for-atlantics-renovated-linda-gross-theater-oct-1-com-198139 Written by Michael Gioia Published: 10.01.2012