by Heather Livingston

By all accounts, it seemed as though the curtain had closed for good on Washington, D.C.’s historic Tivoli Theater. Designed by New York architect Thomas W. Lamb and built in 1924 by owner Harry Crandall, the Italian Renaissance Revival theater was for many years one of Washington’s premiere movie houses. Located in the once tony neighborhood of Columbia Heights, the theater enveloped 2,000 patrons in opulence and splendor. After the devastating 1968 riots following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Tivoli remained open but was heavily scarred. Unfortunately, the subsequent suburban exodus knelled its demise. In 1975, the Tivoli enjoyed its last encore. For decades it stood dormant, a monument to the neighborhood’s past grandeur.

A worthy tenant
Founded in 1976 by Hugo and Rebecca Medrano, GALA (Grupo de Artistas Latinoamericanos) Hispanic Theater has staged more than 150 Spanish and bilingual productions in the D.C. community and is arguably the country’s leading Hispanic theater company. Through its nearly three decades, GALA has garnered critical and popular success as it produced Spanish and Latin-American works and cultivated relationships with actors in Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, and other Caribbean and Latin American nations. GALA also partners with the Washington Performing Arts Society to explore important social issues including AIDS, identity, race, immigration, and gender. In addition, GALA works with community organizations to offer workshops, internships, and performance opportunities to youth ages 13–17. GALA has received numerous awards, including five Helen Hayes awards, the Mayor’s Arts Award, and the Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Community Involvement.

Since its first production at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, the theater company has performed in numerous temporary spaces, including an Adams Morgan townhouse, a church, the Lansburgh Arts Center (now home to Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre), and a Catholic school. Although GALA never possessed the funds for a permanent home, they fortunately maintained a loyal audience who willingly followed them from site to site.

Meanwhile, the Tivoli Theater remained unable to secure a willing tenant despite its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Although numerous developers submitted plans to renovate the Tivoli, all bids were rejected. As years gave way, so did the Tivoli’s beautiful Beaux-Arts interior.

It all comes together
Finally, in 1999, the District of Columbia selected developer Horning Brothers to revitalize the landmark theater and create Tivoli Square, a mixed-use project intended to spark renewal in Columbia Heights. GALA had been interested in the site for several years and had previously worked with other developers to secure a plan for the theater. Horning chose GALA from 12 applicant organizations to be the cultural anchor in the new Tivoli Square.

The developer initially wanted to place the new theater in a small street-level space. David Greenbaum, FAIA, vice president, SmithGroup says, “We wanted to create an architecture that expresses GALA’s mission, that communicated the essence of what GALA is about.” Responding to that desire, SmithGroup instead proposed placing the stage under the Tivoli’s magnificent dome and inserting a floor just under the original balcony, preserving a piece of the original performance space for the audience. They also incorporated a bold color scheme to reflect the spirit and energy of the Latino community.

Although the space had severe limitations, SmithGroup responded creatively to the challenges. They inserted walls on either side of the balcony to create a feeling of intimacy and tucked the lobby and dressing rooms under the performance area. They used a mixture of glass and metal scrims to offer privacy while creating a sense of openness. Although the footprint of the new 270-seat GALA Theater is approximately 25 percent of the original Tivoli, it responds well to the distinct type of productions that GALA presents. “The architectural language is at once traditional and Modern to reinforce GALA’s character as a performing arts company, which ranges from classical to contemporary. The new architecture’s slightly gritty, urban feel contrasts with the restored Beaux-Arts decorative plaster ceiling and walls,” says SmithGroup. Although not all battles were won, the design team feels a great sense of accomplishment that they were able to preserve Tivoli’s original proscenium and splendid dome. “This theater is very important to the neighborhood. We wanted to preserve the dome as a community asset,” notes Greenbaum.

Home at last
Some 81 years after it opened, 29 years since it closed, and 5 years since D.C. selected the developer, the Tivoli is once again the toast of the town. With the official opening on January 7, the GALA Theater at last has a place to call home. “We have continually been on the frontier, on the fringe,” says Rebecca Medrano. “At the Tivoli, we’re finally in the right place at the right time.”

The invigorated GALA plans to expand its offerings in the coming season: They will eliminate headphones used for translation and instead offer supertitles to enhance accessibility and impact. The new theater will host a library and archive, rehearsal and workshop space, film projection facilities, and exhibit space for visual artists. “This was a project that no one wanted to leave alone,” notes Greenbaum. “We had such an enthusiastic and committed client. We all loved working on it.”

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