Browse Items (186 total)

Hand drawn sketch of the design for Southam Hall in the NAC in black and white with letter attached: "OPERA HOUSE - CONCERT HALL | The 2214-seat Opera House is the largest theater of the three comprising the National Arts Center, Ottawa. Although the…

Photos of the newly renovated Southam Hall Stage showing the upgraded paneling (photo 1) with a close-up of the panel detail (photo 2).

Photograph of various people (including Hamilton Southam, centre) viewing a maquette displaying the proposed design for the National Arts Centre. Photographer's stamp included on the back

Photograph of a maquette made displaying the proposed design for the National Arts Centre.

Photos of Southam Hall under renovation.

Photo 1 shows the entire Hall during the phase of renovation when the construction workers were preparing for the new flooring and seating. It also shows the gutted stage.

Photo 2 shows the balcony.

Photos of the original seating from Southam Hall, which were replaced during the renovations with seats that had better acoustical properties. The photo shows the original seating pre-demolition.

Photograph showing the head architect (Fred Lebensold) of the original National Arts Center design giving a tour of the construction site to the public

The public washrooms were one of the core elements in need of significant upgrading. Not only were the original washrooms too small, but a study of the facilities from the 1970s identified excessive wait times during intermission. The renovations…

Photograph of Southam Hall from stage perspective during its construction.

When the National Arts Centre was originally in its design stages, the Diefenbaker government had proposed a large museum to be built on the land adjacent to the south. Hamilton Southam and his team imagined that the Confederation Square site on…