Athens Creative Theater
Athens Creative Theater
Athens, GA
The Athens Creative Theater is located in the Memorial Park Operations Building, one of the few surviving Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings in Clarke county.
Originally constructed in 1926 as the Fairhaven Hospital to care for tuberculosis patients, the building comprises two wings connected by a corridor with a central service block. It is currently used as offices, support space for park staff and performance space for a local theater group.
In order to provide Athens Creative Theater with dedicated workshop space and "Black Box" Theater, the west courtyard was enclosed with a new transparent west wall with black-out shades, and the existing exterior courtyard walls became the interior walls for the space on the other three sides. The west side also received a large wooden deck, which functions as the main circulation and access area for the theater and its operations. The installation of the theater is primarily noticeable from the west side and from higher viewpoints, for example while driving into the parking lot. The views from the east and the south are much like the building's original appearance only with many restored features and new finishes.