The Cleveland-based firm will produce at least three conceptual designs for the Levitt Pavilion Dayton and will assist with developing the winning choice.
Public input will be part of the process and the firm will come up with designs that make the Levitt amphitheater a unique and recognizable attraction, said April Mescher, project director of the Levitt Pavilion Dayton.
“We have confidence that we will have a very iconic structure and design,” Mescher said, referring to the other pavilions across the nation that are in the signature Levitt network.
The city of Dayton issued a request for proposals for the Levitt Pavilion Dayton to 28 firms. Proposals were due in early June.
Five consultants responded to the request, and a committee chose Westlake Reed Leskosky to design the roughly $4 million to $4.5 million amphitheater.
The venue must have open lawn seating to hold 5,000 people and cannot be smaller than two acres, according to the city’s request for proposals.
The lawn must be a “natural bowl” or have a graded slope so visitors have a good view of the stage no matter where they sit.
The project must have an open-air stage with a roof that covers at least 70 percent of it.
The project also requires a designated hospitality area for donors, elected officials, key stakeholders and sponsors of the pavilion, city documents state.
Westlake Reed Leskosky has worked on more than 50 projects across the nation, designing, redesigning or developing plans for theaters, amphitheaters, auditoriums, music halls and performing arts centers.
Dave Hall Plaza is an urban park and cherished space, and the designs will reflect the need to be an entertainment venue and community park, said Mark Kline, principal and landscape architect with MKSK, a Columbus firm that is a partner on the project.
“You have to give people spaces and places to be,” he said.
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