Ferring East Wing Expansion — COCA (Center of Creative Arts)
The Ferring East Wing Expansion, a 50,000-square-foot new wing at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) in University City, Missouri, opened in 2020, adding the 450-seat Catherine B. Berges Theatre and new dance and theatre studios; designed by Christner, Inc. (architect of record) with Axi:Ome (design architect), theatre planning and lighting design by Schuler Shook, and acoustics/AV systems design by Kirkegaard.
| Venue | COCA (Center of Creative Arts) |
|---|---|
| Project type | New Building |
| Status | Completed |
| Year completed | 2020 |
Credits
| Firm | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|
| christner-inc | Architecture | architect of record |
| axiome | Architecture | design architect |
| Schuler Shook | Lighting Design | theatre planning and lighting design for the 450-seat Berges Theatre and studio spaces |
| Kirkegaard | AV Integration | acoustics and audiovisual systems design (room acoustics, sound isolation, mechanical noise control) |
Description
The expansion followed a 2018 renovation of COCA's existing Kuehner West Wing, itself an adaptive reuse of the 1950 Eric Mendelsohn-designed B'nai Amoona Synagogue (a National Register of Historic Places building) into flexible performance/rehearsal space and studios. The new Ferring East Wing added the 450-seat Berges Theatre with full fly loft and orchestra pit, three to five new dance studios, and a large lobby/ commons area connecting the historic and new structures. Total project cost across both phases was reported at roughly $29.1 million (per Kirkegaard) against a $40 million campaign goal (per COCA's 2017 STLPR interview); the project received the 2020 AIA St. Louis Distinguished Award for Architecture.