Nantucket, Ma – Construction of the new Dreamland Theater on Nantucket is nearing completion after 18 months of construction and years of planning. Considered one of the oldest theaters in America, planning and fundraising for the construction of a new facility started eight years ago when the Dreamland Foundation acquired the property and determined the building needed to be replaced.
Designed by Catalano Architects of Boston, and constructed by Stateside Construction Group of Westborough, Mass., this project is slated to obtain a LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is one of the first projects in Nantucket’s Old Historic District to reach such a distinction.
This new 15,000sf multipurpose facility includes a 320‐seat main theater, a studio theater with a capacity of 140, and the Harbor View room and terrace which can accommodate up to 80 people. Equipped with a state‐of‐the‐art digital projection system, the Main Theater will show current blockbuster movies as well as host theatrical productions and other performing arts.
The studio theater will also be able to show main stream movies, smaller theatrical performances, comedy shows and music events.
During demolition of the original historic meeting house, heavy timber wood trusses were salvaged and incorporated into the new construction of the Studio Theater.
The Harbor View meeting room and terrace, with adjacent catering kitchen, provides additional meeting space and boasts spectacular views of Nantucket Harbor.
Construction began in January 2011, and because of a long‐standing requirement in Nantucket’s historic district, the entire exterior shell needed to be completed by June 15th 2011.
Interior construction continued throughout the summer and into early 2012.
The close proximity of the site to the harbor required the entire site to be surrounded by a cofferdam and dewatering system to allow the excavation to remain dry during construction. The building footprint is mere inches from the property line on two sides and resides approximately four feet from an existing building on the third side. This presented many logistical challenges during construction, including the need to completely shut off one of the adjacent streets during construction to allow access for a crane. Additionally, the salvaged wood trusses required restoration and coordination with the steel erection in order to integrate the trusses into the new steel structure. Once construction is complete, the Nantucket Dreamland, with new and old design elements coupled with premier technologies, will continue its historic legacy well into the future.