The heart of chamber music is still beating, evidenced by the joy and excitement that is experienced by all who study and perform at the Brattleboro Music Center. Formerly housed in an old convent, using cells as practice rooms, the school lacked acoustical privacy and adequate recital space, impacting performance and creating obstacles to effective… Read more »
Project Category: Cultural
Waynflete School Arts Center
The Waynflete School Arts Center project involved the complete re-thinking of the center section of the School’s campus. Existing buildings had to be renovated, existing uses changed, and new buildings added to provide the spaces required for a complete arts teaching facility. The project required extensive research and work with the Building Committee and staff… Read more »
Portland Public Library
A new façade and civic presence have transformed the formerly cold, foreboding library building into a vibrant, modern public resource in the center of Portland. By extending out beyond the edge of the existing building, the new façade and the (future) urban screen symbolize the bringing of library resources and information into the public… Read more »
Portland Museum of Art: Study Room and the Great Hall Renovations
As part of the Master Planning process, SA developed a list of short- term projects that the Portland Museum of Art could readily undertake. One of the needs identified was a space for the curators to examine and study the art stored in the PMA’s permanent collection. We transformed a former art storage room… Read more »
Brewster Academy- Anderson Hall Performing Arts Center
Brewster Academy was using a converted church building for choral performances and an old gymnasium for theatrical performances. SA designed a renovation of the former church to create a new Performing Arts Center that provides a performance space with excellent acoustics and the tools for learning all aspects of performing arts from acting to… Read more »
Yarmouth History Center
The Yarmouth History Center is a repository and gallery for the town’s history dating back to the Abenaki Indians and the first British settlers, who arrived in 1636. After developing a master plan for the Yarmouth Historical Society that projected their facility needs, SA developed a renovation design for an existing Water District Building… Read more »
State Theatre Marquee
A prominent fixture of Portland’s Congress Street Arts District corridor, the State Theatre Building has anchored the corner of High Street and Congress Street since 1929. The marquee is the hallmark of the last standing movie palace in Portland from that era. Under new management since 2010, SA was involved in an extensive interior renovation to… Read more »
Southern Maine Community College: Lighthouse Art Studio
Sited beside the granite fortifications of Fort Preble, the Lighthouse Art Studio was formerly a boat shed that sat vacant and neglected. The Art Department was in dire need of space for students to create works of sculpture. With very little funding, a simple intervention to create two large openings in the massive concrete… Read more »
Freeport Community Center
The Town of Freeport owned two historic buildings in close proximity that it wanted to use for seven civic organizations. Our charge was to design a new building that connected the two historic houses to create a unified Community Center. Conducting extensive programming with the various user groups, including teens, elders, and social service… Read more »
Portland Museum of Art: Campus Plan
It has been over 30 years since the Charles Shipman Payson Wing of the Portland Museum of Art opened. Membership has grown, staff has increased, art storage rooms are full, and larger event space is needed, among other facility needs. Simons Architects was asked to develop a Campus Plan that would create a roadmap for… Read more »