The Music Hall Loft- Center for Performing Arts,Literature and Education, Portsmouth, NH.

Called “modern, sleek, heaven” by the Portsmouth Herald, the Music Hall Loft contains a theatre for performances, film and classes, as well as a café, retail space, and art gallery. The space is contemporary and “loft-like” as a counterpoint to The Music Hall’s existing historic theatre. It has been featured in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of New Hampshire Home Magazine, as well as receiving an Merit Award for Design Excellence from the American Institute of Architects in 2012.

The very tight budget and size constraints of the existing building posed a challenge for this gut renovation project. The existing concrete block and brick walls as well as concrete floor were left exposed, which in addition to saving money, served to enhance the Loft-like” quality of the spaces. The theatre floor plan is angled in order to give the lobby a larger feeling as well as to help create a sense of movement. The lighting and colors enhance the “Blue in Green” (song by Miles Davis) atmosphere.

Signage by studio J2
Photography by Rob Karosis