In June 2014, Stanford trustees approved plans to renovate Roble Gym, which was built in 1931 as a women’s gym and health center. Roble Gym will house the Department of Theater & Performance Studies (TAPS) Division of Dance and the Roble Arts Gym, a flexible rehearsal and art-making space for the general student population.
Now in the final stages of the renovation, finishing touches during summer 2016 include the completion of a new dance studio and black box theater, and outfitting the arts gym.
The restored and renewed Roble will open to students when the fall term begins in September 2016.
The black box theater has flexible seating options for dramatic works, and the renovated dance studio for rehearsals and productions in dance has been outfitted with new projection and sound equipment and climate control as well as additional spaces for rehearsals and instruction.
The Roble Arts Gym is a one-of-a-kind drop-in art studio and rehearsal space for students working on independent projects or extra-curricular activities. This new light-filled, flexible space will be equipped to do everything from oil painting to 3-D printing to recording music to screening films.
Under the $28 million project, the building’s infrastructure, including the mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, safety and egress systems, and accessibility are being updated. Its exterior, as well as its courtyards and landscape, will be rehabilitated in the spirit of the original design.
Roble Gym will serve the needs of TAPS department, which is dedicated to integrated learning in performing arts based on intensive studio training and rigorous academic instruction.
Renderings and Photos
Architects for the Roble renovation project are Cody Anderson Wasney Architects, the same team that is renovating Old Chem. They also designed the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design - the d.school.
Contact and Media Resources
Ellen Oh
Director of Professional Development & Student Activities
Stanford Arts Office of the Associate Dean
Stefanie Okuda
Director of Marketing & Special Events
Department of Theater and Performance Studies
Robin Wander
Director of Arts Communication
Stanford University Communications
650-726-6184
Links:
Theater and Performing Studies Department
Historical Images
Design renderings courtesy of Cody Anderson Wasney Architects
Latest News
- July 25, 2016, Stanford's historic Roble Gym: restored and renewed by Robin Wander, Stanford Report
- Feb. 26, 2016, Stanford's historic Roble Gym to open in the fall after arts-oriented renovation by Robin Wander, Stanford Report
- Nov. 13, 2014, At Stanford University, an Arts District Grows by Jori Finkel, New York Times
- Aug. 25, 2014, Roble Gym construction projected to end in September 2015 by Mariam Sulakian, The Stanford Daily
- July 26, 2014, Stanford Students Can Work Their Creative Muscles in an “Art Gym” by Kelby Clark, complex.com
- July 19, 2014, An “Arts Gym” for Stanford Student Body by Lorraine Rubio, artnet.com
- June 19, 2014, Stanford Trustees approve concept and site for Bass Biology Research Building [and renovation of Roble Gym] by Kathleen J. Sullivan, Stanford Report
- Jan. 6, 2014, University begins plans for construction of new “arts gym” by Edward Ngai, The Stanford Daily
