The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces the selection of design firm EYP to re-envision its Israeli Lounge, the lounge’s first renovation in its 48-year history. Following a competition among design and architecture firms from around the word, EYP’s winning submission proposed a fresh design that reflects the spirit of modern-day Israel, pays homage to its rich history, and features artwork by contemporary Israeli artists.
The Israeli Lounge was a gift from the people of Israel and a number of Kennedy Center supporters presented during the Center’s opening in 1971. Located on the box tier level of the Concert Hall Lobby, the Lounge, which accommodates up to 80 guests, serves as a space for patrons and guests to convene, entertain, and connect. The newly renovated Israeli Lounge will feature a dramatic curved ceiling that echoes the topography of Israel.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Gallery walls will feature one of Israel’s premier materials, Jerusalem stone, as a warm, neutral backdrop to a curated selection of artwork. Thirteen stone panels will be placed along each wall, symbolic of the 13 tribes of Israel. A tile mosaic wall made from Israeli-American photographer Richard Nowitz’s photo of Ha Yehudim Street in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter will anchor the north wall of the room. Renovations are anticipated to begin in January 2020 and continue through Spring 2020.
The Israeli Lounge renovation is the fourth event space to be renovated in a long-term restoration effort that has included renovation of seven of the Center’s nine theaters since 1997. The Israeli Lounge is one of the Kennedy Center’s four event lounges named after countries or regions of the world that include the African Room, the Chinese Lounge, and the Russian Lounge. Since opening its doors in September 1971, the Kennedy Center has accepted gifts from dozens of countries and leaders from around the world. Source of Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and image Courtesy of BÆRING.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
Image © EYP architects 
Image © EYP architects – via Curbed