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Walton Arts Center

Fayetteville, AR

Walton Arts Center

Fayetteville, AR

This is a historic day in the life of the Walton Arts Center. The expansion has transformed the relationship between patrons, artists, and children, while helping to dramatically impact Dickson Street and the entertainment district. We are thrilled with the building and more importantly the impact it is having on our community.

Peter Lane, President + CEO

As the seat of arts and culture in Northwest Arkansas, the revitalized Walton Arts Center is a welcoming, inviting environment knit into the surrounding community fabric that showcases the vibrancy of the arts within. A response to the space constraints and heavy, closed-off aesthetic of the original 1992 facility, the new arts center is refined yet accessible, elevating the lively social interactions that take place around a performance.

Seeking to engage the Center with downtown Fayetteville’s street life, a new double-height lobby and a cantilevered porch spilling onto Dickson Street form a prominent threshold for patrons and passers-by. A warm gray pleated metal skin complements the exposed brick remaining from the original building, lending a sense of lightness in juxtaposition to the mass. In homage to Arkansas’ respect for craft and natural materials, we bathed the new lobby in soft wood textures, with a rich, sculptural palette of custom furnishings imparting a jewel-like quality. The revitalization allowed us to reclaim the full potential of the original facility’s amenities like the Starr Theater, contributing to the Center’s overall transformation as a bustling, celebrated civic amenity.

Size

54,775sf renovation; 15,502sf addition

Recognitions

Merit Award, AIA Arkansas

Venue Excellence Award, International Association of Venue Managers

Collaborators

Polk Stanley Wilcox (Local Associate Architect)