COTE Tour: Latino Cultural Center

How can Master Plans successfully maintain original intent while accommodating current and future user needs?  How can thoughtful planning, design and material selection provide an appropriate response to changing climate and neighborhood influences? 

The Latino Cultural Center is located east of Downtown Dallas and just north of Deep Ellum in a rapidly changing neighborhood of Old East Dallas. This vibrant cultural facility is the home for two local theater companies as well as numerous other small arts organizations. The existing LCC facility (designed by Legorreta Arquitectos of Mexico City) was recently expanded to include new black box theater space, dressing rooms, storage, and an expansion of the building lobby. This expansion also includes redevelopment of Florence St., to become a secondary entrance to the complex. GFF served as the Architect-of-Record in collaboration with Legorreta.

TOUR LEADER:  Jon Rollins, Principal, GFF Architects

Mr. Rollins is a leader in GFF’s institutional practice, focusing on university projects, independent schools, cultural facilities and communities of faith, with an additional emphasis on historic preservation and adaptive reuse. He combines a detailed and creative approach to solving complex programming and design problems with expertise in building technology and the construction process.

Jon served two terms on the Board of Trustees for Preservation Dallas. A frequent conference presenter and contributor to professional journals, his recent speaking experience includes invited presentations on topics including historic preservation, sacred space and synagogue architecture, and design of innovative learning spaces. Mr. Rollins holds an AB from Princeton University, and a Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has been a design instructor at the Boston Architectural Center, and a design critic at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Harvard GSD.