Architectural Archaeology: Kennedy Center II

Kennedy Center in snow, January 2019

[Full Disclosure: I am a current employee of the Kennedy Center. Any opinions expressed in this piece are my own personal views and do not represent that of the Center, its management, or its staff.]

As usual, I'm procrastinating other personal writing projects. So we're at this again with entirely new spots around the Kennedy Center! For some reason, they're all about wall features. Didn't plan it, that's just what it ended up being. Enjoy...

PAYPHONES

I alluded to this last time: Where are the payphones? They used to be everywhere. When cell phones became common in everyone's pockets, payphones were deemed superfluous. Most were either taken down or abandoned.

As a building from the 1970's, the Kennedy Center most certainly had payphones. Today, there none still on the walls.* As someone who arrived at the Center post-payphones, I have absolutely no idea where they were located. Except...

While perusing eBay, I found one unusual clue: a September 2000 Program.

September 2000 Kennedy Center Stagebill program for the Balanchine Celebration.
Caption inside: A member of the Bolshoi Ballet takes time for a phone call before a
performance of Don Quixote. Photo by Carol Pratt.

I love old Kennedy Center programs. Their cover photos range from architectural beauty shots to quirky ideas like this. This sort of situation could only happen to you at the Kennedy Center!

So where is this photo taken? There are a couple clues. The marble floor, the "Teatro Scala" poster, the Bolshoi Ballet dancer. Bolshoi Ballet usually performs in the Opera House. Most previous show posters at the KC are only displayed in backstage areas. Marble floors are usually only in public areas. 

The answer is the Opera House Stage Door Lobby. It's a liminal space, the gateway from the public Hall of Nations to the private backstage. Somehow, the Teatro Scala still seems to be in the same spot that it was in 2000!

Corner of the Opera House Stage Door lobby

Under the poster is even two covered outlet covers, exactly where payphones were located in the 2000 program cover.

The former payphone location.
Note the two outlet covers.

It's also interesting to note the lighting reflection on the Teatro Scala poster in 2000. It's circular, like the lights that still hang in the Opera House Stage Door's Inner Antechamber. Now in 2021, the lights are modern fluorescents. 

* There is one staff member who has a Kennedy Center payphone at their desk, but I don't believe it is plugged in/operating.


WATER FOUNTAIN

In a storage room by the Atrium is this odd, boxy protrusion sticking out from the wall. It is sometimes used as a shelf.

It appears to be an old water fountain, just covered up! This area used to be part of a large bathroom complex next to the Atrium. For some reason, this fountain was never removed from the wall.

Taped-over water fountain spigot

The black and gold polished rock is gorgeous. It's interesting to see how features, like water fountains, have changed over the decades, and thus change the feel of the built environment. 

GOLDEN FIRE ALARM

For some reason, the Kennedy Center has different colored fire alarms throughout the building. You have your standard red fire alarms in the Grand Foyer:

Red Fire Alarm in the Grand Foyer

When you go upstairs, the Nations and States Galleries' fire alarms are white.

White Fire Alarm in the Nations Gallery

And then in the Atrium and Atrium Foyers are fire alarms that are gold colored.

Gold Fire Alarm in an Atrium Foyer

Gold fire alarm in the Atrium

The different colors are most likely due to renovations that happened at different times. Out of the three colors, I'm really digging the gold ones. Red is standard, everyone understands they have to be there so it's permissible. But now with other colors available... my response to red fire alarms is Ryan Gosling saying "Be better than the Gap" from Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011). Let's bring our fire alarm game up a notch! White is nicely camouflaged on top of the marble, but won't work as well with wood paneling or beige walls. Gold, though, is part of the color scheme throughout the building. They blend in very nicely. Just the right detail. Still stands out, but fits in to the surroundings.

WALL CARPET NO MORE

I regret to announce my favorite administrative hallway stretch will no longer feature wall carpet. After decades of service (I'm willing to bet almost 50 years), they pulled the carpet down last week. It wasn't anything special, just a thick beige wall carpet, but its anachronistic dated style made me happy.

Some before pictures from a month or so ago:

(It was hard for me to photograph)

Wall Carpet detail on right. 

And then here is the hallway right after they tore it down:

Wall detail, interesting pattern created
from ripping carpet off the wall

Wall carpet rolled up, waiting to head for the dumpster
The edge had a metal frame around it

They've done more work on the hallway since these pictures, it won't be left in that state. It'll just be a normal stretch of hallway, just like all the rest. RIP Wall Carpet. (It's gonna be really funny if wall carpets become a popular interior design trend soon) (Probably not, both to wall carpets becoming popular again real soon, or it being really funny)

PRODUCTION AUTOGRAPH

Ending this on a high note. Many of the touring shows that come through tag somewhere in the backstage. Some are on the ground, some are in tech booths. They can just be their logo, or they can get elaborate, adding dates, a list of stagehands who were on those tours, etc.

This tagged alcove is one of my favorites, just a fun mix of shows. And looks like there's already a new black wall available for when they fill up every inch of the current section!

The LEGO Millennium Stage

Millennium Stage & the LEGO Millennium Stage!

[Full Disclosure: I am a current employee of the Kennedy Center. Any opinions expressed in this piece are my own personal views and do not represent that of the Center, its management, or its staff.]

Good evening, and welcome to Millennium Stage! Every day, the Millennium Stage celebrates the human spirit by presenting a free performance at 6pm. And now, please give a warm welcome to... the LEGO Millennium Stage!!

Millennium Stage has been my work-home longer than any other job I've had at this point. This year, I have missed playing my part in bringing excitement and life to the Grand Foyer. With all the recent stress, grief, and uncertainty, I wanted to create something of familiarity and comfort for myself. This manifested in designing and building a minifigure-sized LEGO Millennium Stage.

The stage I built is modeled off of the third and current iteration of the Millennium Stage proscenium, designed by Grimm + Parker in 2012. Specifically, the LEGO stage's setup is based off the South Millennium Stage by the Concert Hall, as that stage was the first of the two originally built back in 1997.

Because I wanted to recreate the proscenium arch's signature lean, I built a test model to figure it out.

Proscenium test #1

Another proscenium test

Test performance at the test stage.

The lean was achieved by placing an elevated 2x4 brick with pins underneath one end of the towers, then letting the other end rest on the ground.

Once the test model worked to my liking, it was off to build the real deal!

In progress: Stage level of Millennium Stage built

In progress: curtains hung, work starting on the grid

Banana Guy & BB-8 on the completed stage!

Overhead shot of the stage

Completed Millennium Stage next to the Test Model

And so the stage was complete! I had achieved my goal. But was that the end? My mind kept turning, kept asking additional "What If" questions to further expand the stage:

What if... there was a whole LEGO band performing with LEGO instruments?

What if... my stage reflected the diversity that the human-sized Millennium Stage regularly presented?

What if... I also built the tech booth?

What if... the video screen could actually work?

What if... the towers could light up?

So I did what any curious person who likes figuring things out would do -- I answered the questions. 

Let me reintroduce you to the LEGO Millennium Stage:

LEGO Millennium Stage Version 6.0

Millennium Stage Booth

LEGO Band: I bought the Banana Guy Suit from the Series 16 Collectible Minifigures and fell in love with him. I found out there were more food suits, so I started to collect them. I've named this band "Unbalanced Breakfast." 

Now presenting on the LEGO Millennium Stage: Unbalanced Breakfast!
They will be performing songs from their sophomore album The Second Course.

LEGO Instruments: LEGO has trumpets, saxophones, maracas, guitars, and more already made in premade pieces. I needed a grand piano and a drumkit. The piano design came from Masao Hidaka on YouTube. For the drumkit, the bass drum & toms specifically came from Bricks4All on YouTube. For the other hardware, I took inspiration from other kits I saw and made my own.

LEGO Diversity: Millennium Stage has done a great job at presenting artists of different races, ethnicities, identities, and backgrounds. I thought it would be a disservice for my stage not to reflect that as well. 

I didn't own any Black minifigures before building Millennium Stage. Almost all of my sets from childhood included yellow minifigures. Black and tan/white minifigures were only reserved for sets based on licensed properties or real life individuals. Of the licensed property sets, a majority of the minifigures they have created are based off white people. There is a great disparity in the levels of abundance for Black minifigures compared to the other colors.

LEGO has kept yellow as the default minifigure color. From a Gizmodo article, a LEGO representative stated "the yellow-headed minifigure was a conscious choice. Because of their ethnically neutral skin color, Lego [sic] people can be any people-- in any story, at any time." 

1. I think this is a naïve way of looking at race. The world is full of diversity, and that should be celebrated. Our toys should reflect that for our children. 

2. With LEGO adding diversity to licensed sets, it muddies their original message. They've already partially opened the door, you can't shut it back now. It may be time for a new message.

What bothered me the most when I was searching for Black minifigures was most of the ones I found were frowning or looked stern. Most of the yellow minifigures are smiling. This doesn't feel right.

LEGO Millennium Stage audience!

Changing subjects to talk about different kind of representation: LEGO introduced its first wheelchair for minifigures in 2016. As the Millennium Stage is accessible to all, so is my stage. The wheelchair is here too.

Extra readings on LEGO & Diversity:

LEGO: Why some minifigures are different colours

Petition to Make Lego Minifigures More Diverse

Hollywood's Racism Exposed ... By Lego

Able-ism and Diversity in LEGO

Black-Owned Custom LEGO® Subscription Box Aims to Create Global Citizens and Develop Engineering Skills

Tech Booth: This was fun to create, because of all the little details and props I could add. The booth door can swing open and closed. The drawer under the camera platform is also functional!

 

The Multimedia crew has given some of their gear and carts punny names. In keeping with the tradition, the LEGO Multimedia Rack is named "Shrak." Long live Shrak!

The LEGO booth resting on top of the
human-sized booth, both facing the same orientation.

Drawer opens to reveal camera equipment and more!
(They don't actually keep food or gold in the human-sized one)

Video Screen: Originally, the LEGO video screen was a stationary set decoration. Once I built the stage, it occurred to me I would like to watch actual Millennium Stage performances at my Millennium Stage. So I redesigned the video screen to be removable. In its place, I could set my phone down and play past broadcasts of Millennium Stage off of YouTube.

Taking the screen off of the proscenium

Watching Millennium Stage at Millennium Stage,
on the ground in front of Millennium Stage.
Still is from the March 12, 2020 "National Sawdust:
Sonic and Womxyn Amplify" performance (Link).

Lights: This was one of my earliest What If's and the last one to come together. I used Light My Bricks, an Australian company that makes lighting specifically for LEGOs. They provide supplemental kits for official LEGO models, as well as DIY options.

The stage lights are string LED lights that cast a warm white glow. The towers use multicolor strip lights, which slowly cycle through the rainbow. There are also lights made out of LEGOS, but they are only there to add extra detail to the stage.

Adding the strip lighting to the towers

The lights are powered by two battery packs. These are housed backstage, where I have built a platform to hold them in place. This platform does not exist on the human-sized stage, but creative options for vertical storage like this would be beneficial there.

Picture of the backstage

Special thanks to Millennium Stage electricians Chandler Bryant & Josh Ingle for consultation on this aspect! I miss you guys. I miss the whole crew. We'll be together again one day.

A few more pictures of note before I wrap up:

Rare shot of the stage without the stage or proscenium
during the lighting installation.

The Stage Left wing

View from the Stage Right wing.

The Stage Right wing and upstage crossover

Size comparison of the Millennium Stages

The LEGO booth and the human Millennium Stage

Comparing the proscenium tilts. 
I did passable work for remotely eyeballing the lean's angle.

FAQ:

The computer design of the stage used 867 bricks. The computer design of the booth used 404 bricks. I have added more detail since then to each, so I have absolutely no idea what the current totals are. I'd guess I've added over 200 bricks, perhaps even 300.

The stage was designed over one day in Late May. Pieces were ordered shortly thereafter. The LEGO Group can be slow to order custom brick orders from. The wait was agonizing. I received the LEGOs in early July, and built the stage in a couple hours. I then worked on and off on the What If's until Late November. All together, it took six months.

The audience features Mae Jemison, Mary Jane Watson, a blonde Peter Parker, Qui-Gon Jinn, Birthday Cake Guy from the Minifigure Collectibles Series 18, a skeleton (why not), and Nick Fury accompanied by a lady also sporting an eyepatch. A minifigure of me is hiding in the booth watching the show.

So, that's the stage! This will probably be my latest LEGO project for a while. I have two other projects on my plate, both I have put off for too long...

LEGO Millennium Stage and Me!

Thank you for joining us at the LEGO Millennium Stage on the Millennium Stage! For more information on upcoming Millennium Stage performances, please visit Kennedy-Center.org or on Facebook. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your evening at... the Kennedy Center.

Creating CNU's LEGO Alumni House

CNU's LEGO Gregory P. Klich Alumni House.
Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU

LEGOs are one of my favorite toys. You can build anything with them, create stories, blow everything up, and then start from scratch again! When I was young, I spent many a weekend in my basement playing with LEGOs. As I grew up, I still remained captivated by the bricks. Due to space constraints, it became less practical for me to continue to actively building sets. I shifted to playing LEGO video games and watching the new LEGO Masters competition TV show.

Between April and August of this year, I was furloughed from my job due to the global pandemic. During that time, I did my best to keep sane and safe. I searched for things that would bring me joy. Lots of people seemed to have done the same thing during this time. Some started baking, exercising, or Animal Crossing. Others picked up long-lost hobbies. For me, I picked LEGO building back up. It was a joy I could get sucked into and momentarily forget the problems of the world. 

Through internet sleuthing, I discovered the LEGO Digital Designer program, where you can build your own LEGO creations on the computer. Once you design your build, the program is able to tell you how many of each brick piece you need so you can build it in real life!

After I posted a couple of designs on Facebook, I received a message from my alma mater's Senior Director of Alumni Engagement, Baxter Vendrick. For the Christopher Newport University (CNU) Gregory P. Klich Alumni House, he was looking for something that would spark the interests of "kids and kids at heart" on tours of the house. He had seen my creations, and thought a CNU-themed one would fit the bill. So he challenged me to design a LEGO model of the Alumni House. 

Who was I to say no to a challenge like that?

The Gregory P. Klich Alumni House
Designed by Glavé & Holmes Architecture

CNU is rife with Neo-Georgian buildings, an architectural style which is relatively easy to translate into LEGO bricks. Like LEGOs, Neo-Georgian architecture features a lot of straight lines and right angles. If there are angles present, they usually aren't too crazy. I'm not at a skill level yet where I feel comfortable with lots of bends and curves (Sorry Ferguson Center), so this was a project I knew I could do well.

It took about three days to design the first draft of the model in the LEGO Digital Designer program. The design used around 3,700 bricks. I based this draft off of pictures I had already taken of the building and pictures found on the internet/GoogleEarth.

Progress shot creating the first draft of the Alumni House

Once I had Baxter's seal of approval on the first draft, I started refining it to be more accurate and better-looking. I visited campus and closely studied the House to capture the details I had previously missed. Another important feature I added during this time was interior supports -- very important if I wanted the model to survive past the year 2020. The model now had 5,700 pieces.

Before I started building, Baxter asked me what the model's estimated measurements were. The model was 25" x 20" x 12". Baxter got back to me with bad news -- the model was too big. Its intended location was a shelf in the Alumni House's Davis Library. The shelf could accommodate the length and the height, but it was only 12" deep. At 20", my Alumni House was 8" over the maximum possibility. Rather than start from scratch to resize it, I decided to take the King Solomon route: cut the design in half, and only build the front. Testing my hypothesis, I found I could indeed make it work. Everything needed for a complete front-view could be included!

Designed backside of the Alumni House

Once pieces were ordered, the next few weeks were filled with waiting for all the LEGO shipments to arrive. It was like Santa was able to give me the instruction manual on Christmas Day, but the LEGO pieces arrived 2-3 weeks later in January! It was agonizing. Once everything was there, I built the House over 2 days. (By comparison, it took over a year to build the human-sized Alumni House. Watch out Whiting-Turner, there's a new contractor in town!)

Laying the brick foundation

First floor completed of the main block of the Alumni House!

Second floor done, starting on the base of the chimneys
and some of the roof interior supports

More tweaking occurred after "finishing" the build. Looser elements were also glued down with Le-Glue.

Finally, it was time to bring the Alumni House home to CNU. Driving with the model was not as bad as I imagined it would be. I placed it in a tray and secured it with a seatbelt. I drove very cautiously, closer to how my mom would like me to drive all the time. All in all, it arrived safely in one piece!

LEGO Alumni House in front of the human-sized Alumni House
Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU

It felt wonderful to slide the model onto its shelf in the Alumni House's Davis Library. Each step of the project had been so much fun for me. And now, that joy and fun will hopefully transfer to all who see the model on tours of the House!

LEGO Alumni House in the Davis Library
Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU

Fun Facts

The model is made of 3,239 bricks!

Backside of the LEGO Alumni House
Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU

The font used on the stickers is "Trajan Pro" -- the official CNU font and the font used on the human-sized Alumni House.

The ship's wheel on the back of the model is a nod to the University seal. It can also spin!

The anchor in the garden out front is a nod to the nautical ties of Christopher Newport and of the surrounding community. Unlike the building, I took artistic liberties with the landscaping. There isn't an anchor in the garden [yet].

Along with my name being on the back, I hid my initials on the inside.

Hidden initials built into an inner wall

I still have the plans for the complete model that includes the backside. They're ready to be used, should the desire ever arise to construct the whole building. Just throwing that out into the ether....

Unlike the statue at the front of the school, the LEGO Captain Chris has a hook for a hand. I am pro-hook. My design, my interpretation.

LEGO Captain Chris
Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU

LEGO Chris's cape was originally a blue Batman cape. I cut the bottom so it would be a straight line.

Chris's chest piece and pants are gray because those were the colors of the walkaround mascot's clothes when I played him. Since I've graduated, Chris has received a brand new blue suit. 

Acknowledgements

Thank you to CNU Plant Operations for building a plexiglass case for the model! This will ensure the model's safety, cleanliness, and longevity.

Thank you to Ben Leistensnider for the gorgeous photos of the model, and for letting me use them for this blog!

Thank you to Baxter Vendrick for the initial challenge, working through all the logistical issues with me, and supporting alumni wherever you can!

Last but not least, thank you to my Mom and Dad for encouraging my love of architecture and LEGOs throughout my life!

Me and my LEGO Alumni House on the Alumni House Portico
Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU

A Farewell to Admin [from 2013]

CNU Administration Building, June 2013

[This article originally appeared in a late April 2013 edition of The Captain's Log, Christopher Newport University's student-run newspaper. Enjoy this blast to the past!]

A Farewell to Admin

By A.J. Jelonek

It’s been nicknamed “The Power Tower” by those who work in it. An old issue of the Captain’s Log from the 80’s nicknamed it “Windsor Palace,” after the school’s 2nd president who pushed for the building. In more recent times, many have called it ugly. But it has always been CNU’s singular Administration Building.

This summer, the Admin Building will become the last major building of old campus to be demolished for the 2015 campus plan. With its imminent demolition close by, we look back on the place where important decisions were debated and decided.

Before the Admin Building was built, administration services were held in a wing of the Captain John Smith Library. By the mid-70’s, there was a need for more office space on campus. Campus had the infamous “Windsor classrooms,” 12 trailers for classrooms and offices, approximately where the old Science Building was and Forbes Hall’s Phase II expansion is now.

“They were dreadful,” recalls Dr. Mario Mazzarella, a longtime professor here. “There were four offices in one of those trailers. The walls were so thin that I used to joke that if someone sneezed in one end, you’d say ‘Gesundheit’ at the other end.”

The college had recently gained independence from William and Mary, and took the opportunity to have its first major campus expansion projects since the original buildings were built.

On May 8, 1979, a groundbreaking ceremony for the new administration building was held. The Virginia State Governor John N. Dalton was in attendance. It was designed by Forrest Coile and Associates, the architectural firm of all the original buildings on campus.

The building officially opened in December 1980. One major difference from today’s building is the third floor was originally comprised of offices for professors.

When it was built, it was the tallest building on campus. It tied in height in 2005 with the Ferguson Center’s Tower and was finally surpassed by the Trible Library in 2008.

What exactly is its architectural style? Our University Architects are not even sure. The closest match would be Utilitarian. “Some people seem to find it very unattractive; I think it just looks okay myself. I’ve seen worse,” says Mazzerella.

Soon after it was built, there was a plan to build an outdoor stage connected to the side of the building now facing the Great Lawn. It could have been used for performances to commencement exercises. These plan did not come to fruition, so the space was kept open.

Many parts of the building were dedicated over the years. In the mid-80’s, the auditorium on the first floor was named Anderson Auditorium, after the school’s third president, John W. Anderson (1980-1986). On September 15, 1993, the Barclay Sheaks Gallery was dedicated on the 4th floor. Sheaks was a famous local artist who donated a few of his pieces to show his support to the university.

In 2000, the building was the setting of a protest. Teachers and students rallied together when they heard two graduate courses were planned to be cut. As part of the protest, students held a sit-in in the building’s lobby. A compromise regarding the courses was eventually reached.

For the most part through its life, the admin building wasn’t a setting for events. “It’s not a place where big campus events occur,” says Mazzarella. “It was built and served a particular purpose. It’s an office building.”

“It’s a work-a-day administrative building,” explains Dr. Santoro, the school’s 4th president (1987-1996). “Everybody gets there pretty much at 8 o’clock and stays till beyond the closing. That’s a workaholic building, and still is.”

The building has evolved with the times. Different departments have moved in and out. When the building first opened, computers were not as widespread as they are today. Registering for classes meant standing in lines at the Registrar with you and your 4,000 classmates.

With campus building rapidly around it, its utilitarian architecture became a sore thumb to many. Plans were proposed to renovate the building to fit its Georgian neighbors. In the end, it was decided to build a completely new building.

The current building’s demolition will take place in June. The new building, dubbed the Student Success Center, is scheduled to open Spring 2015.

While the old building falls and the new building rises, administration services will be temporarily shuffled around campus to Gosnold, the CNU SunTrust Building, McMurran, and the Library. Some departments, such as Alumni Relations and Admissions, have already moved out to Ratcliffe and the DSU, respectively.

Many of the beautiful pieces of art and campus heirlooms currently held within the building will be kept safe as well. Many items, such as the Virginia state seals above the building’s entrances, will be put into storage for future use. Others, like the School Mace, will be displayed elsewhere on campus (The Mace will be displayed in the President’s Office in the Library).

Like the Gaines Theater before it, the name Anderson will be reused. The lecture hall in the Luter Building will be named the Anderson Lecture Hall.

The Administration Building did its duty to a campus that needed it. It helped CNC and CNU run efficiently for almost 33 years. So we say farewell to the Admin Building. Thank you.

[Since this article was written:

- Demolition work on the Administration Building did begin in June 2013. It was completely leveled by the end of August.

- The Student Success Center's official name became Christopher Newport Hall. The exterior was completed Spring 2015, right in time to be the backdrop for Spring Commencement. The interior would be move-in ready later that summer.

- The Barclay Sheaks Gallery is now located in the Trible Library

- The school's mace is now prominently displayed in the Alumni House 

- The Virginia seals are still in storage

-Luter's lecture hall was ceremoniously renamed the Anderson Lecture Hall in January 2021.]