Shaping a New Look for Lenbrook’s Event Center
The Event Center at Lenbrook is where the community comes together for music and performances, dance nights, lectures, speaker series presentations, committee meetings, cultural celebrations, and other events throughout the year. Now, the space has a fresh new look designed with many of those activities, and the residents and associates who enjoy them, in mind.
This summer, Lenbrook completed a refresh of the Event Center that builds on sound and video equipment upgrades made last year. New flooring, improved acoustical panels, modern lighting, and updated seating have been added to create a more comfortable and polished setting for this community hub.
It was all shaped directly by resident and associate input – a collaboration that is especially fitting for a space that plays such a prominent role in daily life at Lenbrook. The process reflects how resident feedback and thoughtful operational planning come together to support high-quality programming while ensuring the long-term care and stewardship of shared spaces.
Dance was an important part of the conversation. As Lenbrook evaluated the Event Center and its many uses, management worked with dance representatives and the Buildings and Grounds Committee to explore portable dance floor options. The goal was to support a strong dance program while protecting the space from wear that can come with setting up and taking down different configurations. A resident design task force with representatives from Building and Grounds, Friends of the Arts, the Speaker Series and the Residents Council Executive Committee provided input to the Capital Projects team. Residents reviewed the proposed finishes and helped test and provide final approval of the appropriate dance floor.
Additionally, the Event Center is an integral setting for Lenbrook’s arts programming. Artists such as pianist Robert Henry, violinist David Coucheron, the Vega String Quartet, jazz trumpeter Joe Gransden, cellist Jesús Castro-Balbi with pianist Gloria Lin, and Atlanta Opera Studio Artists have performed there, part of the ongoing work of Lenbrook’s Friends of the Arts and Enrichment Department. The Friends of the Arts Committee helps bring several concerts by outstanding artists to Lenbrook each month, along with a bi-annual Resident’s Arts Festival. It’s not unusual for residents to take the stage themselves, like the Resident Piano Group, which has drawn capacity audiences for its performances.
The Event Center is also a key space for lifelong learning opportunities at Lenbrook. Regular speaker series presentations feature distinguished experts, while resident-led discussions, book reviews, and trivia competitions offer additional opportunities to learn and engage.
The refreshed finishes, seating, acoustics, and lighting support this range of uses and keep the space comfortable and inviting. And because the improvements were shaped with residents and associates at the table, the Event Center continues to meet the needs of the people who use it most. Most importantly, it reflects Lenbrook’s mission to nurture an exceptional community where individuals can pursue connection, well-being, and fulfillment.
