Shakespeare Theatre to Get More Room to Play

WASHINGTON, DC-The District’s Shakespeare Theatre has officially announced plans for the $77-million expansion of the group’s performance venue, which will result in the new Harman Center for the Arts. The addition of the new 800-seat facility, which will sit at a separate but nearby site, will complement the Shakespeare Theatre’s existing digs, the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre. CarrAmerica Urban Development is onboard as the developer for the project, while Clark Construction is handling construction management.

The Sidney Harman portion of the Shakespeare Theatre will be located at 620 F St., just a stone’s throw from the existing Lansburgh segment at 450 7th St. It will be part of an 11-story, mixed-use structure that will house the new performance facility on the bottom half of the building, and 110,000 sf of class A office space on the top half. The Harman Center’s occupancy of the structure breaks down to include a 7,500-sf space to accommodate the theater, a 3,300-sf lobby, and a 1,200-sf space for administrative offices. The below-grade portion of the building will include 2,000 sf for dressing rooms, a 2,000-sf rehearsal facility, and 2,300 sf for storage, a green room and a kitchen.