Chapman University, Sandi Simon Center for Dance

The Sandi Simon Center for Dance at Chapman University was transformed from a 1920s industrial packing house into a modern dance studio and community center. A new two-story mezzanine addition, built in a large floor opening, houses a new performance space on the lower level and new classrooms on the second level. The mezzanine’s masonry walls were used as new interior shear walls for the existing floor. Creatively placed opening curvatures, in this floor opening, allow light to extend down to the lower level. The historic wood floor framing was repurposed as wall finish on the new partition walls throughout the lower level.

Through historic preservation and adaptive re-use, the packing house became The Sandi Simon Center for Dance. Its open space and great amount of natural light that were optimal for the packing house workers are ideal for the dance studio’s performance and instructional space requirements. This beautifully preserved and updated facility has come full circle and continues its tradition as a community center into the 21st century.

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