Our Building

Harry Mohr Weese was an influential American architect whose work helped shape 20th-century modernism, historic preservation, and civic design. After establishing Harry Weese Associates in Chicago in 1947, his practice grew from early residential commissions to major public, cultural and transportation projects across the country. 

Weese is perhaps best known for his design of the Washington Metro system. Its monumental vaulted stations became a defining feature of Washington’s public landscape and established Weese as a leading figure in transit architecture. His broader body of work included residences, government buildings and civic projects, reflecting an approach that balanced modern design with sensitivity to a building’s surroundings and purpose. 

Arena Stage founder Zelda Fichandler selected Weese to design Arena’s home in Southwest Washington in part because he had never designed a theater before. That fresh perspective aligned with Fichandler’s vision to create a flexible environment that could continually challenge artists and audiences. 

“The arena stage is a poetic environment, a neutral cube that invites endless possibilities of exploration for design, directing and acting…it has its own aesthetic and if one continues to work in it, it never becomes predictable but continues to be dangerous, provocative, and endlessly interesting.”
—Zelda Fichandler

Bing Wing Thom CM FRAIC was a Canadian architect and urban designer known for an approach that connected architecture with landscapes and communities surrounding it. Early in his career, Thom worked with celebrated Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, contributing to major projects including Vancouver’s Robson Square. His work would go on to include cultural, civic and residential projects in Canada and around the world. 

Thom established his Vancouver-based firm, Bing Thom Architects, in 1981. Among his notable projects were the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia and pavilions for international expositions, alongside residential and large-scale urban developments. Across his work, Thom emphasized the relationship between individual buildings, public spaces and the broader communities they served. 

In 2000, Bing Thom Architects was selected from 60 architectural candidates to reimagine Arena Stage’s longtime home in Southwest Washington, DC. Rather than replace the existing campus, Thom’s design preserved Harry Weese’s historic Fichandler Stage and Kreeger Theater while adding the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle. The three theaters were brought together within a sweeping glass enclosure beneath the Mead Center’s dramatic cantivered roof. 

The completed Mead Center for American Theater opened in 2010, creating a new home for Arena Stage while preserving the architectural history that preceded it. Thom memorably described the three theaters at its center as “three jewels in a jewel box.”