Joan B. Kroc Theatre

Working with AVRP Architects, Auerbach Pollock Friedlander provided full-scope theatre consulting for the 600-seat Joan B. Kroc Theatre at the Salvation Army’s first community arts and recreation “beta site” in San Diego – the Ray and Joan Kroc Salvation Army Corps Performing Arts Center. The Center, funded by the philanthropist Joan Kroc, provides programs for individuals of all ages to members and the general public.

The 600-seat multi-use Joan B. Kroc Theatre is a proscenium that supports drama, dance, musicals, weekly worship events and weddings. The venue features a 2,700-square-foot stage, 75-foot fly tower with full rigging capabilities, working gridiron, motorized orchestra pit and computerized lighting control systems. The Center also features a green room, dressing rooms and meeting spaces.

Recognizing the Center’s outreach requirements and broad use, special care was taken in the design, resulting in simplicity of operation and robust construction of the facility and easy and intuitive systems. As a result, the Salvation Army has a legacy center that showcases flexible and contemporary theatre design at a modest capital cost.

Architect: AVRP Architects
Acoustics: Veneklasen Associates
Size: 155,765 SF entire center
Cost: $47,000,000 entire center
Completion: 2003