I worked on this project from 2003-2004 while working with the firm MV+A Architects. This mixed-use project began as a renovation of the old Tivoli Theater in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. The building had been abandoned many years ago and was in very bad shape. The full theater was not reused, but a smaller part of the upper proscenium arch was kept to create a theater space for a smaller local Hispanic theater group, the Gala Hispanic Theater. This, along with the reuse of the remaining area in the theater for retail and commercial office space, as well as the addition of a new Giant Grocery Store and parking garage were combined to create a new architectural area to revitalize this lower-income neighborhood. The design of the Giant Grocery Store and accompanying parking garage were meant to compliment the existing Tivoli Theater building but still be recognized as newer and an independent entity despite their physical connection.
