Nestor Hall Auditorium

The mission of the Nestor Hall Auditorium Renovation is to create a warm, timeless, intimate, and inclusive performance space that celebrates the arts in education and serves Columbus State and the broader community now and into the future.

Together, Columbus State Community College and the Bostwick Design team crafted and agreed on this shared objective for the redesign of the most critical assembly space on the Columbus State campus. While its primary purpose is to support CSCC’s successful Theater program, it must also serve as a small ensemble venue for vocal and instrumental music, a presentation forum for guest speakers, and an exam location during finals week.
Originally designed as a 335-seat auditorium, the renovation right-sizes the space to a capacity of 250 while improving sight lines to the stage, providing more wheelchair-accessible space for guests, and reshaping walls and ceiling to optimize room acoustics.

Design started with a comprehensive discussion and analysis of the auditorium’s existing acoustic qualities and the potential to realize transformation through strategic placement of reflective, diffusive, and absorptive surfaces. All subsequent design decisions both deferred to and celebrated the acoustic priorities of the space. The stage and lighting design evokes the spirit of a black box theater while retaining the frontal nature of a proscenium stage.

In addition to the main space, the project also reallocates space backstage to create improved dressing rooms, storage, and circulation as well as a new scene shop that can flexibly provide extended stage depth when needed. The control room is enlarged to provide independent lighting and audio control stations.

The public entries to the theater are converted to sound and light lock vestibules to mitigate interruptions to performances. The lobby is revamped, and public restrooms are reapportioned to provide a more equitable and inclusive distribution of fixtures.