EHDD’s comprehensive restoration of Walter Ratcliff’s 1928 Spanish Revival Music Building enriches Mills College’s historic campus architecture and modernizes facilities for its preeminent music department. The rehabilitated, 500-seat concert hall- a contemporary performance space with enlarged stage, accessible seating and upgraded electronics- is beloved by performers. New acoustical panels complement the historic character and provide a neutral setting for restored Raymond Boynton frescoes and choir loft murals. A new, sky-lit addition incorporates an original exterior courtyard, gracefully connecting old and new. All work, including seismic reinforcement, was completed on a limited budget, within the client’s ambitious one-year schedule.
Awards:
2009 California Preservation Design Award, California Preservation Society
2009 Merit Award, Excellence in Architecture for Restoration or Preservation, SCUP/AIA Committee on Architecture for Education