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The Arts United Center
The Arts United Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana was built in 1973 by the famous architect Louis Kahn. It is the only theatre he designed. Kahn's design for the building was for the performing arts facility to seek excellence in visual organization, acoustical superiority and structural simplicity. His choice of materials included brick, concrete and oak.

The theatre was built at a cost of $4.1 million and is situated beside the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. It serves as the main performance stage for the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, the Fort Wayne Youtheatre, Fort Wayne Ballet, Fort Wayne Dance Collective and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. The theatre also presents itself as a community resource hosting local recitals, meetings and gatherings and is available for the public to rent.

The center is 250' long, 119' across the front and 171' wide across the center and contains a 663-seat auditorium, gallery, rehearsal spaces, scene shop and offices. The stage house is equivalent to eight stories high. Every seat in the theatre has a completely clear view to the mid-point of the house curtain at the floor line. The auditorium is completely enclosed in cement to isolate it from exterior noise. Louis Kahn likened it to a violin inside a violin case. Kahn designed the auditorium to be completely unadorned so that the audience would focus on the stage. The stage itself provides a prime area for flexibility. The proscenium is 60' wide, and maximum stage depth is 40'. The combination of hydraulically-operated 60' wide orchestra pit lift and forestage, when elevated to stage level, adds an additional 11' of thrust stage area. There are 47 fly lines as well as sound, projection and light booths. Both men's and women's dressing rooms and a green room can be found at the rear of the stage.

Found on the second floor is the Ian Rolland Gallery which provides nearly 4,000 square feet for exhibits, meeting, lectures, receptions, and other gatherings. Also found on this level at the rear of the building above the dressing rooms are two sound-proofed rehearsal halls of maximum stage size.

University of Pennsylvania School of Design Collection on Louis Kahn []