Stevens Centers $85 million renovation shifts to interior upgrades, 2029 reopening planned

The more than $85 million in renovations to downtown Winston-Salem's iconic Stevens Center are at the intermission stage.

The exterior work of Phase 1 is complete. Phase 2's interior updates are next.

The UNC School of the Arts owns the 77,500-square-foot performing arts center at 405 Fourth St., which opened in 1929 and had 1,366 seats before its temporary closure.

On Friday, the School of the Arts unveiled the Phase 2 design plan, involving the architect of record, Jenkins Peer Architects and the design architect, Steinberg Hart. Construction work is scheduled to begin in February, led by Frank L. Blum Construction.

The center has been closed since November 2023. The goal is to reopen for performances in 2029. The renovated Stevens Center will have a seating capacity of 900.

During Phase 1, the roof was replaced, the brick exterior, terracotta facade and windows were restored, and the lobby was renovated.

Phase 1 work also included fixing leaks in the building to ensure it is watertight.

"We are deeply grateful to our design and construction partners, whose creativity and craftsmanship are bringing new life to this historic space, and to the state legislature and our many supporters for their visionary investment in making this transformation possible," UNCSA Chancellor Brian Cole said.

The legislature paid for the Stevens Center renovation and also supplied most of the $5.4 million used to purchase the 411 Fourth St. property next door.

"When complete, the Stevens Center will stand as a vibrant hub where education, performance and community come together; a place where our students can train at the highest level and where audiences can experience the power of the arts in new and inspiring ways," the School of the Arts said in a news release.

"It will honor its legacy as a cornerstone of the Triad's cultural life, while expanding its role as a catalyst for connection, creativity and economic vitality across our city and region."

UNCSA said Phase 2 will transform the theater chamber, "creating a more intimate and flexible environment through enhancements to seating and the stage, as well as an entirely reconfigured balcony with improved sightlines."

A key element is a redesigned proscenium, or stage frame, to enhance acoustics.

The balcony will be a full story lower to bring audiences closer to the stage and improve sightlines.

"The design for Phase II is focused on dramatically enhancing the patron's experience by crafting an audience chamber that visually and acoustically draws people closer to the stage and performers," Benjamin Benson of Jenkins Peer Architects said.

A new fourth-floor lobby will provide patrons with access to the reconfigured balcony.

The orchestra pit, dressing rooms, warm-up spaces and production areas are being upgraded "to improve safety, accessibility, functionality and the flow of performers and crews to and from the stage, as well as increase production capability," the School of the Arts said.

The renovated Stevens Center will also include technology upgrades.

Stevens Center renovations are not the only project taking place at the downtown campus of the School of the Arts.

In May 2025, UNCSA Foundation Management paid $5.4 million for the building at 411 W. Fourth Street. State lawmakers provided $4.5 million toward the purchase.

The 12,441-square-foot building is the former Greater Winston-Salem headquarters and the home of a series of restaurants at the corner of the intersection with Spruce Street.

Cole said the additional space "will provide critical infrastructure improvements and allow us to expand the functionality of the Stevens Center, continuing to invest in our home in downtown Winston-Salem."

UNCSA said the new loading dock "will substantially expand the venue's production capacity and wing space, allowing for a wider variety of productions by UNCSA, local arts partner organizations and other national presenters."

"It makes sense for the state to acquire this property for additional revenue, office space, parking, and to build a loading dock onto the Stevens Center," said Rep. Kyle Hall, R-Stokes.

Hall, along with Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, is a primary sponsor of House Bill 419, which contained the UNCSA funding legislation.

"We always knew that it would be supported," Cole said. "It wasn't a matter of if, but a matter of when, since we put this forward as our most important capital project request.

"The necessity for two different phases of funding is why the project has taken a little bit longer. The first $29.9 million in Phase 1 allowed us to do the entire building envelope, the completely replaced roof and the dramatic expansion of the lobby."

"Meanwhile, you can't really design Phase II until money has been authorized and officially signed into law. If we had received all the money at once, it very well might be done sometime by the end of 2027 or so."

Cole said patrons will be pleasantly surprised by the new balcony.

"With the position of the balcony, you can see people below you on the orchestra level. There is also seating that wraps all the way around both sides of the Stevens Center so that you can see the other elements of the theater and where other populations of patrons are," Cole said.

Cole expressed confidence that Stevens Center's revenue stream will remain steady, even with about 400 fewer seats, due to plans to increase the number of performances.

"There are a lot of events that fit in the category of 900 to 1,100 seats, which gives an advantage to the Stevens Center," Cole said.

Cole said the School of the Arts became accustomed to lower ticket sales. Since 2023, seating had been limited to about 800 because the balcony was closed.

"We've entered into dynamic seating price models that professional theaters use, and we're confident of the demand for traditional productions and organizations by UNCSA and our local arts partners," Cole said.

"We're actively working to try to provide as many opportunities to take advantage of periods where the Stevens Center could be utilized by a touring production or ensemble, or any other kinds of local and regional presenting organizations."

"I think the wow will be in terms of the color scheme and the kind of forward-thinking design, but also how it still has a connection to Winston Salem and the Stevens Center and the Carolina Theaters' past."

Cole said the reopened Stevens Center will complement the major cultural projects under development in downtown Winston-Salem, such as the North Carolina Museum of Art's new gallery and the planned 5,000-plus-seat amphitheater for live music performances.

"With the alignment of these exciting projects, we have the unique opportunity to take some impactful steps and create something special along the Fourth and Spruce Street corridor," Cole said, "Anchored by the renovated Stevens Center, leveraging these assets together will amplify the strength of each institution and foster deeper collaboration across the arts community."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.