Norva Theater

Norfolk, Virginia

McPherson Design Group provided contract documents for this facility located in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. The Norva Theater was originally built as a Vaudeville Theater and Movie House in 1913. During the early 1970s, the interior of the theater was demolished and converted into a downtown athletic facility. Abandoned for many years, the building was purchased by Rising Tide Productions, LLC in 1999. The project entailed the adaptive reuse of the 45,000 square foot building into three (3) distinct components: a 1,500-person concert hall, a full service music-themed restaurant, and office space for the owner/promoter. The design approach focused upon emphasizing the building's structural characteristics and creating an industrial backdrop throughout the facility. Details throughout the theater and restaurant carry forward the industrial theme, i.e., guardrails, antique oak and stained concrete floors, exposed brick walls, diamond plate steel partition s, and fiberglass column covers painted to resemble turn-of-the century cast iron columns. Through innovative design, this once abandoned building was converted into one of the hottest new concert venues in the country today.