A Lasting Community Partnership

Over the past two decades, HDR has served as the design architect and architect of record for numerous projects with Omaha Performing Arts. As the projects vary in scale and complexity, so does the team of consultants required to complete the work. Designed as a commanding symbol of OPA's commitment to the arts, The Holland Performing Arts Center has long symbolised Omaha’s ongoing cultural renaissance. Initially completed by HDR in 2003, the centre provides the community with a sleek, modern environment for experiencing world-class artistry in the heart of downtown. To maintain its contemporary feel, our design teams continue their ongoing collaboration with OPA to create meaningful spaces that expand the organisation’s reach and enrich the patron experience.

Design That Elevates the Patron Experience

The centre’s main concert hall is a contemporary interpretation of a shoebox hall with a narrow shape that provides sound quality with clarity and intimacy, allowing for a full and rich reverberation. A glass clerestory fills the hall with natural light during the day, transforming the space into a glowing beacon at night, enticing patrons and passersby.

Designed to accommodate varied programming, the building’s acoustic conditions were modified to suit different performance types, with a series of moveable platforms situated on three separate stage lifts that allow for a range of presentations.

Performance areas include:

• Kiewit Hall: A 2,000-seat shoebox-style concert hall designed to provide clear and rich sound quality through its narrow shape.
• Scott Hall: A 350-seat theatre with incredible acoustics and unique lighting options that serves as a “black box” space for banquets or rehearsal.

In addition to enhanced performance spaces, numerous additions and renovations to reception, lounge and bar areas have created modernised socialising spaces for patrons and artists alike. Sleek design features and warm interior selections transform these spaces into intimate social hubs, inviting patrons to gather and enjoy the space’s amenities.

Renovated areas include:

• Ovations Bar & Lounge: Designed to support the pre- and post-function activities requisite to an elite concert hall experience, Ovations offers a dynamic space to engage various patron groups. With the main body of the building lifted above the ground plane, the transparency of this newly renovated street-level space not only affords views out to the surrounding urban landscape but provides passersby with a provocative glimpse inside, prompting intrigue and inviting further exploration.
• John & Carmen Gottschalk Founder’s Room: The John & Carmen Gottschalk Founder's Room renovation was designed to celebrate the Holland Performing Art Center’s 10-year anniversary as a home for world-class artistry. The project reactivates what was once a 3,000-square‐foot under-utilised formal space into an inviting lounge for donors that complements the centre’s sleek, urban modernism. Guests now socialise comfortably in one of several intimate seating areas or while perched at the bar.
• Ticket Office & West Bar: With the transformation of ticketing technology and increased box office digitisation, the need for traditional box office windows behind glass has evolved. To bring the outdated ticket space up to new standards, patrons are now greeted with a simplified, open concierge desk. Back of house office space is thoughtfully concealed behind the existing curvilinear wall and is indirectly lit through frosted glass panels. To create more space for the West Bar, the existing stair was clad in back-lit frosted glass, creating a focal point that attracts patrons within the lobby and pedestrians at street level.
• Capstan Lounge and Skyview Terrace: Located on Tier 1, the Capstan Lounge includes a full bar and indoor/outdoor seating. The Skyview Terrace, located on Tier 2, offers sweeping views of downtown Omaha and an assortment of beer, wine, specialty cocktails and small plates.

Nurturing Connection Through the Arts

Over the years, these enhancements have not only modernised the performance spaces but also created an inviting atmosphere that fosters connection within Omaha, establishing the building as a beacon of community spirit. Designed to unite and inspire, the Holland Performing Arts Center stands as a testament to Omaha’s dedication to the arts, continually bringing people together to enjoy and appreciate the city’s cultural richness.