Renovation of Loews Metropolitan
for Brooklyn Tabernacle
Brooklyn, New York
Project type: Historic Restoration
Seat count: 4,000
Original Construction: 1918
Opening: May 2002
Construction Cost: $38 Million
Architect: Kostow & Greenwood
A/V Installation: SPLIS / Ancha
Lighting Installation: Fourth Phase
AD Scope: Audio, Video, Video Production,
Acoustics, Theatrical Lighting,
Architectural Lighting Control
The Brooklyn Tabernacle moved from its former home on Flatbush Avenue to the newly restored Loew's Metropolitan Theatre. The Metropolitan, completed in 1918 was once the largest theatre auditorium for live performance in North America with seating for 4,100. However, as with many of the historic vaudeville theatres, it fell into disrepair. The renovation required to restore the theatre for productive use was extensive. Not only did the roof leak badly, which ruined much of the ornate furnishing, but in the late 1980's the auditorium was divided into four small movie theatres before being abandoned completely.
At the Flatbush site, the main sanctuary and overflow rooms were filled. The highest possible seat count needed to be maintained. "The biggest concern for us was whether or not we would lose the intimacy of the worship experience by moving into a larger space," said Michael Archibald, the Audio and Video Administrator for Brooklyn Tabernacle. "Yet, the new space maintains that feeling of closeness. We haven't felt a change.”
The acoustic and audio design centers around creating intimacy in the relationship among the choir, praise band, the pastor on the platform and the congregation seated in the audience. AD was hired to consult on the acoustics and performance technologies to enhance this experience. The finishes we specified for the room allow a high level of energy among the participants in the congregation by allowing each person to hear himself and those around him while giving the choir and praise team on the platform a good sense of the energy in the room created by the congregation.
Brooklyn Tabernacle is unique in that the church is known both by the strong preaching of internationally recognized pastor and best-selling author, Jim Cymbala, and for the musical performance of it's Grammy-award winning choir directed by Carol Cymbala. As a result, there was a need for two audio systems-one to provide speech clarity for preaching from the platform and another to provide warmth, envelopment and natural imaging for musical performance.
Video projection is used for announcements and other presentations. A roll down screen was selected so that when not in use, the video screen does not detract from the natural beauty of the theatre. The balcony camera utilizes an optical image stabilizer lens on a custom pan-tilt robotic head camera. This allows the camera shot to be isolated from activity in the balcony so that movement in worship is not noted by the camera. A full production suite will be added in the next phase to allow production switching, recording and editing.
Brooklyn Tabernacle produces broadcast specials and major productions, so the theatrical lighting system had to be up to the task. "This project was extremely satisfying to work on," said David Stephens of AD, the lead lighting designer. "When working on a restoration, you have to design within the parameters of the room. We took what the building gave us and didn't force the design. The result is that the technology fades into the background of the setting while maintaining a high degree of functionality."
