“The venue had an older and very basic wheelchair lift, kind of hidden around the back of the building and difficult to get to, even if you knew it was there,” said Brent Coutts, Chief Operating Officer of 101 Mobility Houston, the Savaria dealer on the project. “Like many buildings of that vintage, accessibility was an afterthought with the equipment added much later.”
The Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, known to locals as Jones Hall, takes up an entire city block in Houston. The cultural landmark is undergoing a multi-million-dollar rejuvenation designed to make the performing arts more enjoyable and accessible for all.
Originally completed in October 1966 and designed by the Houston-based architectural firm Caudill Rowlett Scott, the hall features a white Italian marble exterior with eight-story tall columns and a lobby dominated by a 60-foot ceiling. The concert hall itself was unique, with 800 hexagonal ceiling segments that could be raised or lowered to change the acoustics.
The upgrades are designed to keep the history of this vital entertainment venue intact while simultaneously fostering a welcoming environment for audiences and performers alike.
Sound on
“Jones Hall was one of the most technologically advanced theaters in the world when it was built. When I think about Jones Hall, I also think about Houston. Houston as a city is entrepreneurial. It's got big personality. It's generous and more than a little quirky. We have a beautiful but young history of builders, big business, of arts, and also of terrific philanthropy and generosity. And I think Jones Hall tells that story,” Meg Booth, the Performing Arts Houston CEO, told the Houston Press in 2022. “What a beautiful piece of history to be able to renovate and improve for all the citizens of Houston.”
The renovations are taking place in phases to allow the venue to remain open to performers and audiences—including the hall’s two resident companies, the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston. Phase one saw significant upgrades to the venue’s acoustics.
“One of the challenges with Jones Hall for musicians and audiences has always been the acoustics to some extent. While they've been good, they've been a little challenging for the musicians on stage and somewhat variable depending on where you're sitting in the hall. There are some spots that are terrific and other spots where it's a little bit more compromised,” said John Mangum, Houston Symphony’s executive director and CEO in the same Houston Press article. “The changes significantly improve the acoustic experience and help push sounds happening on stage out into the house, and they also improve the experience of the performers on stage by being able to hear each other from different locations on stage.”
In 2022, improvements happened literally “behind the scenes” with upgrades to the stage, orchestra pit and backstage amenities.
Accessibility at center stage
Seating layout and audience comfort upgrades came in 2023, along with significant accessibility updates to bring the venue up to current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
A custom Savaria V-1504 Prestige vertical platform wheelchair lift (VPL) now sits in pride of place in the grand entrance lobby.
Because in the 2020s, diversity, equity and inclusion are the name of the game. And accessibility can be beautiful.
The Savaria V-1504 Prestige was designed to add to the aesthetic appeal of upscale commercial and public buildings. Built from ½-inch structural tempered glass with no visible frame, and stainless steel or optional colors for the tower and platform, it’s a sleekly modern approach to barrier-free access. Powered by a 20 ft/min hydraulic drive system operated by constant pressure controls, there’s no machine room needed, and it’s fully ADA compliant.
“The architect and project team really focused on the aesthetics of the accessibility lift for Jones Hall,” said Coutts. “They’d seen a similar Prestige at the Alley Theatre around the corner and knew it would look fantastic in the lobby here, so that’s what they specified.”
The new lift is located right beside the main staircase, requiring a custom travel distance of 90 inches to carry a wheelchair user and attendant from the street-level entrance to the mezzanine.
Typically, the B wall of a VPL of this height would include 36 inches of stainless steel, but the designers on the Jones Hall project wanted the ultimate in aesthetic detail and specified that the B wall be made entirely of glass.
“It’s an incredibly cool thing that we got to do. To be part of such an important project, on such a culturally significant local landmark. More importantly, we were all working towards ensuring accessibility for everyone to enjoy these amazing performances. It’s a truly welcoming public space. We’re really proud of the part we played in making it happen.”
Read the full case study and find design tools and specifications.
All images courtesy 101 Mobility Houston
Savaria
