Lynn University

The Keith C. & Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL, designed by Newman Architects, New Haven, CT, will host the final debate between President Barack Obama and GOP Candidate Mitt Romney, 22 October 2012. This historic occasion will be enhanced by the outstanding architecture.

When developing the Performing Arts Center, Newman Architects was commissioned to create a versatile and intimate space for an array of occasions. The building, characterized as “frozen music” because of its unique technical and aesthetic features, will unify the live audience and those watching from home in a shared participation of this momentous event.
 
Among those features are:
> Superb acoustics and appropriate reverberation time as a result of specially engineered concaved wood paneling,
> Encouraged socialization and intimacy through auditorium central entrance and rounded house design,
> 750-seat auditorium developed to minimize distance of the farthest seat from stage,
> All seats are connected to the stage engaging the audience and performers in a shared excitement and immediacy,
> Grand two-story lobby lit with chandeliers accentuated by curved entrance canopy,
> Spacious reception area opens up to terrace views,
> Environmentally friendly interior finishes crafted locally and sustainable-design strategies implemented,
> Exterior shell is made of pre-cast tilt-up concrete panels, cast on the site and erected quickly and efficiently, allowing for a short construction period,
> Situated on the edge of the campus minimizing traffic problems.
 
Kevin M. Ross, President of [ Lynn University ] “Everyone who visits the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center on the Campus of Lynn University is struck by its intimacy and its beauty. Herb Newman and Newman Architects made this venue a very special space on our campus. When members of the Commission on Presidential Debates initially visited to evaluate the University as a possible site for the presidential debate, they commented on that they could make this already beautiful space look magnificent on television.”  
 
Herbert Newman, FAIA [ Newman Architects ] “We were tasked with providing a facility that would serve both the University as a teaching environment as well as the community as a unique income-generating venue. The space is designed with flexibility in mind and accommodates theatrical productions (drama, opera, musicals), concerts and other cultural events with adjustable acoustic components to allow for lectures and campus presentations. The design conveys a shared sense of participation of audience and performer.“