The Tennessee Williams Theater is located on the Florida Keys Community College campus in Key West, Florida.  The first phase in 2004 was to update and expand the existing restroom facilities.  In addition to a very outdated appearance, the existing restrooms which were constructed in the early 1970’s and did not provide facilities for the disabled.   The women’s restroom was expanded from 6 regular stalls to 8 regular stalls plus 1 additional ADA facility.  The men’s restroom was modified from 3 regular stalls and 4 urinals, to 1 regular stall and 5 urinals plus 1 additional ADA facility.  Both restrooms were completely demolished, and extra square footage was obtained by incorporating the previous vestibule footprints into the new restroom design.  New vestibules constructed of translucent glass panels were incorporated into the existing lobby area.  The clean, modern style of the glass vestibules extend inside the restrooms through the use of natural stone tiles, natural wood, marble toilet partitions, and alabaster light fixtures

 

The next phase for improvements to the theater was the expansion of the lobby, which began in 2005.  An additional 1,400 square feet of lobby space was acquired by transforming the large covered porches that existed at the front of the building into new usable interior space.   The strong geometric lines of the theater were softened with the addition of a floating arced colonnade that gracefully sweeps across the front of the building.  A new driveway pierces through the colonnade, creating a porte cochere for patrons.  Openings to the sky were designed so that palm trees could be planted between the colonnade and the glass façade of the lobby.  Integral planters for landscaping assist in softening the building, and breaking up the sea of parking lot pavement located directly in front of the building.

 

Inside, the box office was renovated and reconfigured to be highly visible from the entry.  Primary ticket windows address a covered porch area, which helps to alleviate congestion inside the lobby.  Additionally, an ADA compliant ticket window was provided inside the lobby.  The end result is referred to as the grand foyer, which not only serves as lobby space for the main 450 seat auditorium, but also as an ideal venue for small to medium sized performances with flexible seating plans for up to 250 patrons.