Phase II of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts included a 127,000 SF expansion consisting of Steinmetz Hall, lobby space and full kitchen facilities. Steinmetz Hall can accommodate 1,700 guests, and has a retractable, four-level orchestra shell and operable seating area, allowing the facility to adjust to each performance’s needs.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is the first facility in the United States to include an occupiable orchestra shell and an operable floor in one theater. All surfaces, including cork floors, cherry millwork and acoustic fabric curtains, were designed to enhance the sound from performances while lessening noise from the audience. More than 400 isolation rubber pads were installed between the theater and its foundation to absorb sound.

Along with the performing arts center and its education and entertainment venues, the two-block site accommodates public spaces that enhance city life and create a vibrant gathering place. The front-of-house lobby is nearly all architecturally exposed structural steel and includes a 70-foot-tall shotcrete wave wall. The architects’ vision was to provide the finished appearance of a ship’s hull. Orlando Ballet, Opera Orlando and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra are housed in the facility.

This project was named one of the Most Beautiful Theaters in the World by Architectural Digest in 2023.