Shaw Center for the Arts

Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Schwartz/Silver and Eskew+Dumez+Ripple

Comprised primarily of the Louisiana State University Museum of Art, the Douglas L. Manship Sr. Theater for the Visual and Performing Arts, the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge is the product of Schwartz/Silver Architects (design architect) and Eskew + Dumez + Ripple (architect of record). Situated across from the Old State Capitol and facing the Mississippi River, the 125,000 s.f. facility straddles and incorporates an existing "Auto Hotel", retained for its historic facade. The interaction between the two gives the project its most dramatic expression, one that is driving development nearby the Shaw Center.

The distinctive longitudinal section of the Center illustrates this interaction: facilities for the LSU School of Art reuse the Auto Hotel, the Manship Theater sits on the ground floor near the main entrance, and the LSU Museum of Art occupies the entire length of the new structure on the fifth floor. Also, a terrace takes advantage of the Hotel's roof, a Japanese restaurant sits atop the building with another terrace providing unencumbered views of the Mississippi.

Beyond the new structure cantilevering over the existing Hotel, the most distinctive aspect of the design is the abundant use of channel glass on the exterior. Behind the channel glass is corrugated aluminum that keeps natural light out of the galleries, theater, and other spaces. Curtain wall admits light to the generous lobby and a single horizontal window at the museum entry (with a upturn at one end of the window and the reception desk mimicking the overall form of the new building) breaks up the channel glass exterior over the main entry. Random bands inside and outside the glass offset the verticality of the channels, a gesture in tune with the building's massing.

Open since March, the Center was "intended to re-vitalize downtown Baton Rouge," according to the design architects. They further say that even before the Center's opening "new restaurants and private developments are underway, creating a sense of excitement and anticipation." This excitement gave way to trepidation as two major players in the project stepped down from their executive positions shortly before and after its opening. But the quality of the architecture and its spaces, and the wide variety of events being held at the Center point towards a longevity well beyond any shake-ups in the upper echelon.