Work on New York City’s Delacorte Theater’s timber facade is nearing completion, with the outdoor theatre – famous for its Shakespeare in the Park performances – on track to fully reopen in August. That is according to the Public Theater, who, along with design partner Ennead Architects, has been working to restore the theater – which closed for renovations in September 2023 after more than 60 years of operation.
First slatted in 2018, the $77m works include better accessibility, an improved backstage, and a replacement of the outdoor stage floor, deck, and lighting. However, the standout is, without question, the new timber facade – using timber from upcycled from decommissioned water tanks:
“Outside, there will be a new facade, which is where the reclaimed redwood from decommissioned water tanks comes in,” according to Stephen Chu, partner at Ennead Architects. “The wood slats — cleaned, dried and planned to remove the roughness — will be attached to metal brackets surrounding the original structure from 1962.”
Funded by the New York City Mayor’s Office, the City Council, the Manhattan Borough President’s office and private donors, “the design renews The Delacorte’s promise of delivering free artistic brilliance to diverse audiences for decades to come,” said Arielle Tepper, chair of the Public Theater board back in late 2021. “This effort to renovate the theater will speak volumes of the importance of cultural preservation. The emphasis on programmatic and structural sustainability, using durable and changing elements, will set a strong precedent for future projects,” according to Gale A Brewer, Manhattan borough president.
Delacorte Theatre’s revitalisation comes after Wood Central last year revealed that America’s first public purpose-built LEED Platinum theatre would rise in New York after the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theatre Company broke ground on the Samuel H. Scripps Theater Centre — a 14,850 square feet, 475-capacity open-air venue on the Hudson, just 80 minutes north of central Manhatten.
Designed by Studio Gang, the theatre—which will become the new destination for the New York performing arts community—features a gently curved grid shell made from low-carbon mass timber materials. The shell opens directly onto the revitalised landscape and frames views of the highlands along the Hudson River.
