Page 42 - Spring_2018

ArchDC Spring 2018.qxp_Fall 2017 2/22/18 9:12 AM Page 40

school board member, a prodigious art collector, and a The “egg” containing
larger-than-life figure on the city’s arts scene. Described the main auditorium.
by Graae as “a totally hands-on force for good,” the
admiring architect said, “Peggy set a very high bar for all
of us.”
The egg-enclosed auditorium would be the envy of
many professional theater companies. Its acoustic system
features 40 microphones, 200 speakers, and is programmable
to deliver precise audio for a small lecture or a Broadway
musical. Backstage, the fly system—the series of cables,
pulleys, and counterweights that allow the stage hands
to hoist (fly) curtains, lights, and scenery—boasts an
impressive 40 rigging lines, and the three lighting catwalks
prompt mental visions of teenage production crews
teetering high above. The theater is supported by all the
necessary “back of the house” facilities, including green
rooms, dressing rooms, a costume shop, dance studios, a
recording suite, and technical design and production studios,
all of which provide opportunities for student training.
The third floor houses the school’s instrumental
music offerings with two orchestra and band rehearsal
halls, many private practice rooms, a percussion studio,
and a jazz practice space. And, finally, there is the glassy
roof terrace with its magnificent views over the city and
the river. Originally conceived by the architects as a larger,
more dramatic outdoor space, the roof deck was
considerably reduced in ambition and size as nearby
residents began to worry about late-night parties and
youthful music-making. However, combined green roof
and solar technologies in the final design have helped the
building attain LEED Gold certification.
While the bold design of the Ellington School
transformation has been widely acclaimed, its escalating
costs did not escape public scrutiny. The $89 million
budget estimated at the beginning of the design build
process eventually grew to $165 million. Graae points out,
however, that the original cost projection envisioned only
a renovation of the existing building, not its expansion by
nearly 100,000 square feet. The program for a performing
arts school was far more complex than first articulated by
the school system, and the scope of the project necessarily
expanded with the city government’s approval. For the DC
Department of General Services, which managed the entire
process, “It was definitely a success,” according to Alam
Al-Alami, operational manager in the Capital Construction
Division. “Over time, it became a completely different
project and actually delivered a little under budget.”
As the financial dust-up settles among accountants
and officials, Ellington students and teachers rejoice.
“Pure joy,” is how Ronald Newman, director of operations
and collaborative programming, recalls his students’
reaction to their first glimpses of their new school.
Himself an Ellington graduate (in voice and theater),
Newman said, “We’ve always had a $100 million
program here; it’s just that now the building has finally
caught up.”

40 THE CURTAIN RISES
Main auditorium.