Lesher Center’s Portal to the Arts

Over the course of summer 2018, W.A. Rose worked with Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center to build their Portal to the Arts—a covered walkway that has improved the flow from the North Locust Street parking garage to the Lesher Center courtyard. The Portal not only is covered, but it is now ADA accessible. Prior to the Portal construction, patrons with disabilities had to go all the way around the building. The Center is now more accessible to all theater-goers.

Project Challenges

We needed to finish the project before the fall theater season began. The Portal was completed on time and on budget.WARose Construction built a portal to the arts for Walnut Creek's Lesher Center

W.A. Rose provided temporary site walls to separate the construction area from the public area, removed a portion of the existing dividing wall and one room in the garage area.We configured the sidewalk area and repainted the parking spots.

An upgrade to the existing finishes included new painting, and electrical conduits that ran across the wall had to be removed or relocated. We replaced the concrete slab and benches in the Rudney Courtyard and installed a new guardrail. Drainage and landscape lighting have been added to the planter boxes for future improvements, and upper-perimeter lighting was added in the courtyard.

Results

While this upgrade to the Lesher Center will protect theater-goers from wind and rain, it’s now a facility that’s safer, more structurally sound and best of all, more accessible.