Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI) is an arts venue in Seattle, Washington, USA, operated by City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and named after African-American writer Langston Hughes. The building has Seattle landmark status. Dating from 1915, it was originally a synagogue, designed by B. Marcus Priteca for the Orthodox Jewish congregation Chevra Bikur Cholim, now Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath. As of 2009, it will soon undergo a US$2.5 million upgrade, including its second round of seismic retrofitting.
The main auditorium has a seating capacity of 288. A 4,400-square-foot (410 m2) activity hall downstairs can accommodate "almost 300 individuals".
Priteca completed his plans for the building in early 1913; the synagogue was dedicated in August 1915. The lower story of the addition on the south side of the building dates from 1961, the upper story from 1971. The building became the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in 1969, originally under the Model Cities Program. It became part of Parks and Recreation in 1972. The interior of the auditorium was renovated in 1971: a balcony area was removed, extending auditorium seating further back. In 1991 an addition was made to the east side of the auditorium, as well as seismic retrofit improvements; another addition was made to the southwest corner of the auditorium in 2003. The additions to the building have been for office and support spaces, and to provide barrier-free access.
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute was founded in 1969, originally under the Model Cities Program. The city purchased the building in 1971, intending it to house the city's first African-American theater, Black Arts/West, and a minority film training center, Oscar Productions. However, the renovations at that time took so long that those organizations found other quarters. Still, the institute became "Ground Zero" for Seattle's hip hop scene and played a comparable role for local African American theatrical talent.
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