The Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera, the leading performing arts company in the United States, is a vibrant home for the world's most creative and talented artists working in the multidisciplinary field of opera. The company's mission is to present opera through compelling productions featuring the finest singers, conductors and directors. In August 2006, the Met's new General Manager, Peter Gelb, launched a series of groundbreaking artistic, media and public initiatives designed to build on the company's great strengths while reconnecting the organization to a broader public. These new initiatives resulted in a need for additional rehearsal, media and administrative space within the opera house.

Jonathan Rose Companies assembled a team of consultants including Beyer Blinder Belle and Theatre Project Consultants to develop a renovation and expansion plan to provide these new spaces. Interviews were held with key Met Opera staff and information on the existing building was assembled. Early on it became clear that due to artistic, logistical and labor cost issue that it would be better to keep rehearsal/ production space on site and easier and less expensive to locate office space offsite. The strategies developed by the feasibility study team included reorganizing the uses within the existing building, accommodating uses by expanding the existing building and locating uses offsite. A zoning study was conducted to explore building expansion possibilities.

The preferred strategy increases the efficiency of the existing functions and introduces new spaces. Changes that have been successfully incorporated to date include: the addition of a critically needed medium sized rehearsal hall, an enlarged costume shop, enlarged wardrobe area, large and medium coaching rooms and an upgraded children's area. The renovation also adds approximately fourteen (14) toilet fixtures to appropriate locations, and upgrades to elevators serving the public. Non-production related office space would be offsite.