The outdated stagehouse was demolished and replaced with a new 100-foot high, steel-framed structure including a dressing support facility. The goal of the project became to balance the preservation and restoration of the wonderful Baroque interiors with the creation of a state-of-the-art performing arts facility fully equipped with theatrical, lighting, sound, mechanical, electrical, and fire/life safety systems. Lacking a sufficiently large stagehouse and dressing support facilities, the theatre could not generate enough economic activity to save and restore the museum quality public spaces. M+J worked with the owner to fully restore and carefully renovate this venue, in order to host Broadway style entertainment, among others. After closing in 1991, the project became trapped in an economic vise grip suffered by many historic performing arts venues. Originally a vaudeville house, this 1928 venue stands among the nation’s finest in opulence, extensive gilt, quality of detailing and is Boston’s only Thomas Lamb theatre. Venues express aspirational values and goals of the communities within which they are located, and at the same time conform to issues of economic value at the highest levels of environmental sustainability. M+J looks to the future in their design aesthetic even when the context may be firmly rooted in the past and executes creative solutions to facilities both new and historic, where flexibility, ease of operation, and high but versatile performance characteristics are requisite. Known for a thoughtful design approach to public facilities, M+J develops an intimate understanding of the needs of users, patrons, and operators destined to inhabit the projects of the firm. The 25-architect firm has since established an expertise in three main architectural areas – the restoration and adaptive reuse of historic structures, institutional buildings in urban areas and community settings, and the design and planning of performing arts venues. With a professional working relationship spanning three decades, Gary F Martinez FAIA and Thomas E Johnson FAIA founded Martinez+Johnson Architecture in 1994 to bring their design sensitivities to institutional and cultural projects in urban locations.
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