
This is gracefully surrounded by original brick walls, columns and balconies, with a full-span skylight roof casting directed light throughout. Upon passing through the historically preserved front, visitors discover a geometrically stunning 800-seat performance theater as the beating heart of the building.


firm cox graae + spack architects (CG+S) was awarded the project. Ready to modernize in 2011, Ellington held an international design competition, and through a breathtaking proposal designed in Archicad, D.C. The building, originally built in the 1890’s, had undergone several rounds of renovation and repair but needed a major overhaul to bring it into the 21st century. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts offers gifted children equal access to a superior education in the arts. Archicad connects teams in an open BIM cloud environment, powered by advanced communication and collaboration workflows.

Archicad from Graphisoft® is a BIM software solution that was used to design the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
