Latest news with #EnneadArchitects
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
The Theater that Gave America Shakespeare in the Park Gets a Revamp
After years of neglect, Delacorte Theater — the outdoor stage where America's beloved free Shakespeare in the Park tradition began over 60 years ago — has reopened in New York City's Central Park with a star-studded production of Twelfth Night. It follows a nearly two-year, $85 million renovation that adds permanent wheelchair access and upgraded backstage facilities. Designed by Ennead Architects, it also features reclaimed redwood from decommissioned city water towers. The revamp comes at a precarious moment for public theater nationwide as arts organizations lose out on critical federal grants amid spending cuts by the Trump administration. Smaller groups in particular risk closing. But Delacorte's revival, funded in part by private donations, offers an example of what sustained investment can achieve, Rthvika Suvarna writes. Today on CityLab:
New York Times
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
To Understand the Delacorte Theater Renovation, Peek Inside This Rowhouse
When the architect Stephen Chu bought a rowhouse in Ridgewood, Queens, more than 20 years ago, the neighborhood was far enough off the radar and cheap enough to be an architectural playground for a young designer. The two-family brick house, with faint outlines of the old-fashioned decorative shutters long removed, was across from a warehouse on a quiet street. Mr. Chu bought it with his partner at the time for $380,000. 'We broke up and I kept the house,' he said. Mr. Chu, 54, now has a portfolio filled with landmark designs, including the newly renovated Delacorte Theater in Central Park, which is set to reopen on Aug. 7 with a production of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night.' He said his home was 'never intended to be my architectural showpiece.' Still, his decades of home renovations in Ridgewood reflect a thoughtful approach to preservation. The Delacorte was built in 1962 as a 'pop-up,' in Mr. Chu's words, and he and his team at Ennead Architects, where he is a partner, took pains to spare hawthorn roots when trenching the site. 'Central Park is a scenic landmark, so the trees are protected,' he said. Cracked structural footings, some without rebar, received new jackets of reinforced concrete. A soaring torqued canopy now cantilevers over the entry gates and box office. The redwood ribbed siding that now hides the grandstand is a variegated patchwork of locally sourced water tower staves salvaged from old tanks. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
