Touring the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

Exploring San Antonio is one of my favorite things so I jumped at the chance to tour our new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.  In my Veteran's Day post I wrote about the history of the original Spanish Colonial Revival style Municipal Auditorium built as a WWI memorial.  For this post we'll tour more of the outside and also head indoors.

See that alien looking metal thing above the roof?  That's the AT&T Sky Wall, made of aluminum panels covering the new portion of the building.  While I enjoy mixing old and new, I'm not too sure of the sharp juxtaposition here with the old structure.  The panels at first reminded me of those 1960's attempts to "modernize" old brick storefronts with similar treatment.

At night the panels are illuminated and, from what I've seen on the local news and heard from friends, it is quite stunning.

The contrast is quite sharp.  The concept is better than a halfway attempt to match the old.

A closer view of the wings with the domes restored.

The original entry arches have new glass panels attached to create a vestibule for larger crowds to gather.  (I've repeated a few photos from my previous post for continuity)

Inside a sweeping fiberglass wall catches the light.  The treatment of the wall keeps noise from the lobby from drifting into the main hall.  The tones of the terrazzo flooring picks up the curves.

I loved the main performance hall.  It's a beautiful space.  The symbols around the seating levels are based on early stonework found in San Antonio and change color during a concert.  Our docent mentioned that they changed to match the dresses worn by a recent performer.

 

The large hall is so versatile the floor can be leveled and the seats disappear into the floor.  This makes the hall into a space for large receptions or dinner style seating.

Our symphony was setting up for an evening performance.

The lobby ceiling opens up to give glimpses of the old building.

Names of generous donors are on the walls of the lobby.  Surprisingly little public funding was used to build the center.

Under the domes on the building wings are reception rooms available for special events and intermission.  The columns are original to the 1926 building.

Under a dome from the inside.

Exit lighting evokes the original building.

There's a lot of buzz about all the acts scheduled to play here.  Lyle Lovett played for 2 1/2 hours plus a 15 minute encore!

In addition to the main hall, there are several small performance spaces which were too dark to photograph. One of the smaller theaters opens like a garage door (right) to the River Walk plaza so it can be used for large gatherings.

The outdoor screen can project performances to the crowd on the plaza.  These outdoor events are free but you do need a ticket for security reasons and you can sign up for tickets on line.

Most of the groundcover is liriope.  Because we have so many visitors the city likes to use mostly evergreen plants in public spaces.

Earlier this week I had a chance to see the plaza from the river.  The screen is visible from the tour barges.

Approaching the center from the north and a view of how the center fits into the neighborhood.  The tree trunk arcade is faux bois art by local artist Carlos Cortes and has been in place since 2008.



The full view of those aluminum panels from the river.

Around front most of the planting consists of Hesperaloe parviflora 'Brake Lights' a new brighter red introduction which has become a hot commodity among gardeners in our area.  This is the largest installation of 'Brake Lights' I've seen.

I was very impressed with the versatility of the new center which will serve our community for generations.  Many thanks to my friend Jeannette who invited me along with the folks at Coker United Methodist Church who set up the tour and welcomed me.