Sunset Center for the Arts
The Sunset Center has been the cultural heart of Carmel-by-theSea since it graduated from grammar school to community center in 1964. However, the lovely Gothic style, 733-seat auditorium was never a suitable venue for the caliber of artists that performed there. Actor Christopher Plummer once walked out on the audience during a performance after writing “get yourself a new theater” on the podium.
The theater lacked all manner of required space, including a lobby. No internal connections required everyone to travel outside the building when moving between front and back of house. Technical and lighting equipment were inadequate or non-existent, and restrooms and seating were outdated and cramped. The biggest challenge, however, was to develop a design that kept the spirit of the original middle school auditorium and could meet the needs of a state-of-the-art performance venue with the support of donors and neighbors, many of whom had attended the school as children.
An unconventional preservation design move was to add a large entrance lobby addition to the front main entry of the building. A large arched “proscenium” frames the original double-arched entrance and skylight slots along the roof at the connection of the addition and the original building celebrate the connection between the old and the new.
The massing for a new stage house and rigging system was broken down in scale to complement the original architecture. An interior connector joins front of house, the stage house and the back of house. The incline of the auditorium floor was increased to improve sightlines and provide an orchestra pit with stage lift. New theater seating and a new balcony with box-seats maintain the 733-seat capacity. The large plaster arches were replaced with identically shaped acoustically transparent perforated metal material and a state-of-the-art acoustical enhancement system allows flexibility to alter the sound in the room to align the performance with the audience. An arched lighting grid was added to provide all needed lighting positions without obstructing views from the audience and new balcony. The Sunset Center has been voted Monterey County’s “Best Concert Venue” every year since 2011.
As the project principal and project manager with Architectural Resources Group, Aaron led the design, managed the consultant team and facilitated the approval and community outreach processes. He also facilitated the programming and design process with the users, city, donors and community, making presentations to neighborhood leaders, city commissions, and potential donors.
Architect of Record:
Architectural Resources Group
Photo credits:
David Wakely Photography