A rendering of the exterior one One Pace Plaza
Redefining Our Downtown Campus

One Pace Plaza East

Starting in Fall 2023, the lower floors of One Pace Plaza East will be reconstructed, creating an inviting and modern building with classroom and creative arts spaces, collaboration spaces, and a Performing Arts Center that will include a proscenium theater, plus other theater and support spaces. This provides up-to-date instructional, creative, and performance spaces, and it keeps our large gathering space—used by the entire University and the broader community—at the center of our campus. Additionally, we will also renovate and upgrade Maria’s Tower, providing additional, desirable residential spaces for our students.

Once the building is complete, One Pace Plaza will be fully modernized and we would have taken a big step toward reducing our carbon emissions.

Watch this space for additional renderings and animatic videos. 

Building Features

Theater Venues

  • Large Venue: This is a flexible 400-seat proscenium theater with a full-size stage and fly. It will showcase the full range of Pace’s theatrical productions, including those with large casts such as musical theater and dance.
  • Medium Venue: This is a double-height, flexible, flat-floored, 230-seat black box theater. Its technical gallery, catwalks, and rearrangeable platforms and chairs will enable ongoing experimentation in performances and theatrical design.
  • Small Venue: This is a double-height, flexible, flat-floored, 99-seat black box theater with a pipe grid and rearrangeable platforms and chairs. One wall of the theater can open up completely to extend the theater into the One Pace Plaza courtyard, encouraging new innovations in theatrical presentations.

Production Shops

  • Scene/Prop/Paint Shop: This is a 3,600 SF space dedicated to constructing and painting all sets and props for the project’s three theater venues, with shop equipment, built-in strong points in the ceiling, and direct access to a new robust service elevator. The shop is supported by spaces for welding, upholstery, rigging, tool storage, materials storage, and prop storage.
  • Costume Shop: This is a 3,300 SF space dedicated to the design and fabrication of all costumes for the project’s three theater venues, with support spaces for laundry, dye/vat, spraying, distressing, and crafts.

Performing Arts Spaces

  • Flexible rehearsal studios
  • Dance rehearsal studios
  • Drafting studio
  • Digital design lab
  • Screening room
  • Sound stage
  • Entertainment production design/light lab
  • Vocal/Self-tape rooms

Creative and Educational Spaces

  • Animation studio
  • Film and Screen Studies sound stage
  • Automated dialogue replacement (ADR) Studios
  • Podcast studios

Key Design Teams

  • FXCollaborative Architects
  • LERA
  • Kohler Ronan
  • Theatre Projects
  • Jaffe Holden
  • Tillotson Design
  • Steven Winter Associates
  • NV5
  • Romano Gatland
  • Owner’s representative: DBI Projects
  • Renderings: MOSO Studio

The One Pace Plaza East Renovations has a target completion/opening date of Fall 2026.

Artistic Renderings and Conceptual Sketches

cross-section rendering of one pace plaza east on the Pace University NYC campus
rendering of the future courtyard on the Pace University NYC campus with theater venue and the facade of One Pace Plaza East
rendering of the small performing arts venue on the Pace University NYC campus with the courtyard behind.
rendering of a theater with an audience on the Pace University NYC campus
rendering of a rehearsal studio at One Pace Plaza on the Pace University NYC campus
render of the future lobby of one pace plaza east on the Pace University NYC campus.
rendering of stairs in a lobby at One Pace Plaza on the Pace University NYC campus.
diagram showing the cross-section of One Pace Plaza on the Pace University NYC campus with highlights on the new performing arts venues

Rendering depicting the cross-section view of the future One Pace Plaza East, showing the vertical relationship between program spaces across the east-west section of the building.

This rendering shows the east side of the courtyard, the facade of One Pace Plaza East, and the small performing arts venue that opens into the courtyard.

This is a double-height, flexible, flat-floored, 99-seat black box theater with a pipe grid and rearrangeable platforms and chairs. One wall of the theater can open up completely to extend the theater into the One Pace Plaza courtyard, encouraging new innovations in theatrical presentations.

Rendering of the medium performance space. This is a double-height, flexible, flat-floored, 230-seat black box theater. Its technical gallery, catwalks, and re-arrangeable platforms and chairs will enable ongoing experimentation in performances and theatrical design.

New flexible rehearsal and dance studios will also feature prominently in the new design.

Similar in design to the existing lobby on the west side of One Pace Plaza, this conceptual drawing shows what could be possible outside of the performing arts venue spaces.

The inclusion of more conversation spaces and gathering places for the campus community will be woven into the overall design of One Pace Plaza East. Additionally, more elevators between the floor will help improve ADA access to our new theater spaces.

This conceptual drawing of the cross-section of One Pace Plaza shows where the new performing arts venues will be located within the base of One Pace Plaza East.