As a prominent local veteran’s organization with an existing conference center facility, the Clovis Memorial District wanted to create spaces to serve the community, specifically a 500-seat theater, a flexible 350-seat auditorium and additional conference center space.  Designed as a two-phase master plan, the new buildings set out to bridge between the historic downtown and the adjacent civic center.

Phase 1 of the project, expanded Conference Center, houses a 350-seat auditorium, offices, and meeting rooms centered around a gracious entry lobby to be used as both exhibit space for the veteran’s artifacts and as a pre-event space.  A new interior courtyard and adjacent corridor serve to link the new addition to the existing building. 

The addition is designed to be sensitive to the height and scale of the existing building and its neighbors while housing the larger program elements within.  Limestone wraps the exterior of the auditorium, which has a civic and monumental presence and relates to the brick buildings of the old town center.  A large glazed opening on the front face of the auditorium reduces the building mass while allowing filtered light and views within. 

The auditorium is a flexible gathering space used at any time of the day for events ranging from lectures, small performances, and movie screenings.  The large glazed opening along the back of the auditorium illuminates the space with soft northern light and offers a visual connection to the future theater building across the street.  At night these windows reveal the activities within and act as a glowing beacon to the neighborhood.  Within the auditorium, canted skylights add additional filtered light into the space, providing visual relief for the users.  Blackout screens allow the light to be controlled as desired.