Situated at the base of a hillside in a historic intersection of Cincinnati, OH between the University of Cincinnati, the Historic West End and the Historic Over-The-Rhine, the Imperial Theater is to be renovated and expanded as a theater, class space, prop shop, cafe and event space. 

Programmatically, the spaces within the new construction compliment the adjacent existing space, with the levels of the new construction aligning with the sloping theater and the raised stage. A new lobby creates a main entrance space with a cafe that expands the building’s hours from a traditional, formal, evening event space to a casual, daytime use. A new props shop buried into the hill allows set design and production to happen in house. 

The second floor contains a lofted space overlooking the lobby with private rehearsal spaces in the rear. 

Due to the sloped site, the rooftop can be accessed from the rear alley entrance, and from the building. From the alley entrance, a serpentine ramp creates a meandering path with spaces for community garden plots, opening up to a rooftop space that houses the full community garden and an outdoor gathering space that links to an event space in the rear.