The new theater was designed by renowned Dutch architect Francine Houben, founder of Mecanoo architectural firm and best known in the U. S. for her renovation of the New York Public Library ' s midtown branch and the iconic Main Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D. C., the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in Boston, and numerous theater projects around the world.
Houben partnered with New Yorkbased Marvel as its U. S.-based“ architect of record,” a legal requirement, whose St. Ann’ s Warehouse theater project in Brooklyn inspired several elements in the new Duke. Marvel also served as the landscape architect. The result is a theater complex defined by fluidity, flexibility, and the poetry of movement.
Movement is everywhere, from the rhythm of the columns along the theater’ s walkway that follow the curvature of the building’ s exterior, gradually opening to the west lobby entrance, to the way light and shadow play across surfaces.“ I didn’ t want to design a theater for Brooklyn and put it in the Berkshires,” Houben says.“ I wanted to build a theater that could only exist here, with this round veranda, this soft, rounded shape that connects to the landscape and the spirit of the place.” Standing in the main performance space, I could feel how her design
philosophy—“ People, Place, Purpose, and Poetry”— guided every decision. The building’ s soft curves, timber exterior, and green roofs echo the natural forms around it. Though the wood was sourced from Canada because of availability, the stone was locally quarried, and regional contractors led by Berkshire-based Allegrone Co., which had previously worked on the Pillow’ s Ted Shawn Theatre renovation and the original Doris Duke Theatre, brought the vision to life.
Indigenous Influence and Integration
Perhaps the most distinctive element of the project is its integration of Indigenous voices as foundational collaborators. Walking through the east garden, which was in the process of being laid out, I was struck by how the space will honor the land’ s original stewards not through token gestures, but through meaningful integration of Indigenous design principles.
Houben brought in acclaimed artist and MacArthur Fellow Jeffrey Gibson, of Cherokee and Choctaw heritage, and currently artist in residence at Bard College in Dutchess County, New York. Known for his vibrant, cross-disciplinary work, including the immersive installation POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’ RE DIFFERENT currently at MASS
Walking through the building ' s curved entryway, I was struck by how the structure itself seem to be in motion. " It ' s a dancing building," Tatge told our group, her words perfectly capturing the fluid quality of the space. Sunlight streams through strategically placed windows, creating patterns that shift throughout the day across the warm wooden surfaces. The building breathes with the landscape around it.
July 2025 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 73