Academy of Music Performing Arts Center

Commonwealth Architects is currently providing full A/E services for the design and rehabilitation of the historic Academy of Music Performing Arts Center Theater in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia.

The historic vaudeville theatre opened in 1905, and quickly became a favorite venue for theatergoers and entertainers from New Orleans to New York City. With the insurgence of movies and television, the theatre closed its doors in 1958. After years of neglect, Commonwealth Architects is now working closely with the Academy of Music Performing Arts Center, LP to bring an ambitious performing arts complex vision to life.

This comprehensive rehabilitation and new construction project will transform the present theater into a performing arts center that will serve as the central resource for arts and entertainment in the Lynchburg area. The Center will occupy approximately 2 acres spanning the 500 and 600 blocks of Main Street. The new facility will incorporate four existing buildings, and provide parking and a new service drive and loading dock. Adjacent to the theater is Sixth Street, which will be closed to traffic and transformed into a landscaped pedestrian courtyard with pavers, waterfalls, and a series of graceful steps descending to the new Price-Clements studio theatre below.