Editorial: Theater design enters final stage Editorial: Theater design enters final stage (June 01, 2005)

The eight-member jury that will choose one of six competing designs for the new Menlo-Atherton High School performing arts center will have just one day to hear from representatives for each entry before reaching a decision this Saturday evening.

The fast track process started last November, when voters passed a district-wide, $70 million bond package. The theater construction budget is $17 million. This total could include $2 million to $3 million from the City of Menlo Park.

From 4 to 6 p.m. this Tuesday, May 31, the public can view models of the six entries at the new gym on the M-A campus, with another viewing chance at a public reception at the gym on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The jury will meet in an all-day public session in the gym starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 4. The jury will then retire to deliberate and pick a winner, probably by early evening.

The new 24,000-square-foot complex will replace the dark, acoustically challenged but still venerable J Building multi-use rooom with a 500-seat theater, a cafeteria, and additional classroom space to support the theater and drama curriculum. A similar project, without the design competition, was recently completed at the Woodside High campus for about $16 million.

At an informal meeting in March, school and district officials made it clear to participating architects that they expected an exciting, "signature design" that would stand out at the intersection of Middlefield Road and Ravenswood Avenue. And the models on display this week from the six finalists did not disappoint. Most offer soaring planes and distinctive features that would be a welcome addition to the mostly nondescript structures on the campus now.

The final decision will be up to the jury - four Bay Area architects, two parents of M-A students, an M-A administrative vice principal and Menlo Park City Council member Lee Duboc. A theater manager from a local school district will be advising the group. They will choose not only a campus landmark, - but the look and feel of the largest public building in the community.

Although it will be located in Atherton, the center is likely to receive funding from Menlo Park, in return for some access to the stage for various city-sponsored events. The rental of the theater by community performing artisits and local acting troupes something that will likely be worked out over time, given the theater's primary role as an academic facility.

Even so, Menlo Park, Atherton and other Mid-Peninsula residents, after going without for many, many years, will finally have access to a decently-sized theater. after going without for many, many years. It will be a momentous occasion when the theater debuts. The school district is shooting for an opening in the fall of 2007, a reasonable wait considering that the school has been without a real theater ever since it opened more than 50 years ago.

The Almanac recommends...

Voters in Atherton go to the polls June 7 to decide the fate of Measure W, which will approve a five-year renewal of the $750-a-year parcel tax. As we stated in our endorsement May 18, this tax is essential so that Atherton can continue to provide the capital improvements and basic services that residents expect. We urge a yes vote on Measure W.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.