Atlas Performing Arts Center
A multi-space performing arts center in Washington, D.C.'s H Street NE corridor, housed in a renovated Art Deco-era movie theater.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Atlas Performing Arts Center is a nonprofit-oriented performing arts facility on H Street NE in the Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The center occupies a former movie theater and combines several performance venues, rehearsal and dance facilities, production spaces, dressing rooms, offices, and community-oriented arts programming under one roof. Rather than operating as a single-discipline theater, the Atlas functions as a presenting venue and home for resident and partner organizations working across theater, dance, music, youth arts, and other performance disciplines. The building began as the Atlas Movie Theater, constructed in 1938 by the Kogod-Burka movie chain. It was one of several cinemas serving H Street, then a busy commercial and retail corridor. The neighborhood suffered extensive damage and economic decline after the 1968 riots, followed by population loss, business closures, and long-term disinvestment. The theater ultimately closed in 1976. The H Street Community Development Corporation acquired the property in 1985 and undertook work to preserve and restore its Art Moderne exterior, including a facade renovation completed in 1989. The Atlas Performing Arts Center acquired the building from the community development corporation in 2001. In 2002, the Sprenger-Lang Foundation contributed $450,000 toward the property's reported $1.2 million asking price. A major redevelopment began in 2004, with an approximately $22 million renovation that gutted and reconfigured the original structure and joined three neighboring buildings into a consolidated arts complex. The resulting center opened in March 2005. The approximately 60,000-square-foot facility includes a 260-seat proscenium theater, a large flexible black-box theater, and two smaller Lab Theatres. Its supporting spaces include three dance studios managed by Joy of Motion Dance Center, a scene shop, seven dressing rooms, a green room, and administrative and workspace areas for Atlas and its resident arts partners. The configuration allows the building to accommodate staged productions, concerts, dance performances, festivals, rehearsals, educational activity, and smaller experimental presentations. The center has hosted or housed a number of arts organizations, including Capital City Symphony, Joy of Motion Dance Center, City at Peace, Mosaic Theater Company of DC, and Visionaries of the Creative Arts. Capital City Symphony moved from Georgetown to the Atlas in 2006 and adopted its current name at that time; it is identified as one of the center's founding arts partners. The Atlas also developed Intersections, a multidisciplinary festival first held in the winter of 2010. The festival was designed to bring together artists from different disciplines, generations, and cultural backgrounds, and drew more than 5,000 attendees across its first three weekends. The event helped reinforce the center's role as both a performance venue and a cultural anchor for the H Street neighborhood. Atlas's present identity is closely tied to adaptive reuse, neighborhood revitalization, and access to varied forms of live performance. Its business and cultural model centers on maintaining a flexible venue, supporting resident organizations, presenting public programs, and connecting professional, community, and educational arts activity. Jarrod Bennett has served as the organization's executive director since 2024.
History
The Atlas Performing Arts Center occupies a former cinema on H Street NE in Washington, D.C. The original building was constructed in 1938 by the Kogod-Burka movie chain, when H Street was a commercially active corridor with several movie houses and a substantial local customer base. The building's later role as an arts center is therefore rooted in the neighborhood's earlier history as an entertainment and retail district. The 1968 riots had a severe effect on H Street and surrounding areas. Businesses were damaged or closed, many residents moved to the suburbs, and the corridor entered a prolonged period of decline. The Atlas movie theater eventually closed permanently in 1976. For years afterward, the property remained part of a broader landscape of underused or vacant buildings along H Street. The H Street Community Development Corporation purchased the former theater in 1985. Its work included renovation of the building's Art Moderne facade, completed in 1989, helping preserve a visible reminder of the site's cinema history. The property later became the subject of a larger cultural redevelopment effort. In 2001, the Atlas Performing Arts Center purchased the building from the community development corporation. The Sprenger-Lang Foundation contributed $450,000 in 2002 toward the reported $1.2 million asking price. A comprehensive redevelopment began in 2004. The project, reported as costing approximately $22 million, substantially reconfigured the site: the original structure was gutted, and three adjacent buildings were connected under a single roof. The goal was to create a flexible arts complex rather than simply reopen the former cinema. The completed facility provided multiple theaters, rehearsal and dance studios, technical and backstage infrastructure, offices, and space for resident and partner organizations. The Atlas opened in March 2005. The completed center is approximately 60,000 square feet. Its principal performance spaces are a 260-seat proscenium theater, a larger flexible black-box theater, and two smaller Lab Theatres. Additional facilities include three dance studios managed by Joy of Motion Dance Center, a scene shop, seven dressing rooms, a green room, and office space for Atlas and its resident arts partners. This arrangement supports a range of uses, from fully staged productions and orchestral concerts to dance, workshops, rehearsals, educational programs, and experimental work. The Atlas developed a partner-based operating identity. Organizations associated with the center include Capital City Symphony, Joy of Motion Dance Center, City at Peace, Mosaic Theater Company of DC, and Visionaries of the Creative Arts. Capital City Symphony relocated from Georgetown to the Atlas in 2006 and adopted its current name at the same time. Its presence illustrates the center's role as a home for organizations that need regular performance, rehearsal, and community-access infrastructure. In the winter of 2010, the Atlas presented the first Intersections festival under artistic director Mary Hall Surface. The festival sought to place artists from different disciplines, age groups, and cultural backgrounds in conversation and collaboration. More than 5,000 people attended across the first three weekends, including many people who were new to both the Atlas and the H Street area. The festival became an important expression of the center's multidisciplinary and neighborhood-focused mission. The Atlas's history is consequently linked to two parallel transformations: the adaptive reuse of a historic neighborhood cinema and the cultural redevelopment of H Street. Its significance lies not only in its individual theaters but also in its role as shared infrastructure for Washington's performing arts community. As of 2024, Jarrod Bennett serves as executive director.
- 2024
Jarrod Bennett serves as executive director
[1]Jarrod Bennett begins serving as the organization's executive director.
- 2010
First Intersections festival is presented
[1]The Atlas launches its multidisciplinary Intersections festival, which attracts more than 5,000 attendees during its opening three weekends.
- 2006
Capital City Symphony relocates to the Atlas
[1]The orchestra moves from Georgetown to the Atlas and adopts the Capital City Symphony name, becoming one of the center's founding arts partners.
- 2005
Arts center opens
[1]The rebuilt Atlas Performing Arts Center opens in March with multiple theaters, studios, technical facilities, and partner-organization space.
- 2004
Major redevelopment begins
[1]An approximately $22 million renovation guts the original structure and combines three adjacent buildings into a new multi-venue arts complex.
- 2002
Sprenger-Lang Foundation provides project support
[1]The Sprenger-Lang Foundation donates $450,000 toward the reported $1.2 million asking price for the property.
- 2001
Atlas Performing Arts Center acquires the property
[1]The performing arts organization purchases the building from the H Street Community Development Corporation.
- 1989
Art Moderne facade is renovated
[1]The building's historic Art Moderne exterior is renovated.
- 1985
Community development corporation acquires the building
[1]The H Street Community Development Corporation purchases the former theater and begins efforts connected with preserving and renewing the property.
- 1976
The movie theater closes
[1]The Atlas Movie Theater closes permanently after the neighborhood's commercial decline.
Products and positioning
A multidisciplinary performing arts hub and neighborhood cultural anchor that combines historic adaptive reuse, flexible performance spaces, resident arts organizations, and community-oriented programming.
Performance venue · 2005
Proscenium Theater
The Atlas's principal proscenium venue seats approximately 260 people. It is suited to conventional theatrical staging and other productions requiring a framed stage, audience seating, backstage support, and a formal presentation format.
Performance venue · 2005
Black-Box Theater
A larger flexible theater designed for productions that need adaptable seating, staging, and audience configurations. The space supports experimental theater, dance, performance art, workshops, and other presentations that do not require a fixed proscenium layout.
Performance venue · 2005
Lab Theatres
Two smaller Lab Theatres provide compact spaces for intimate productions, readings, emerging work, rehearsals, and experimental presentations. They complement the center's larger venues by allowing partner organizations and artists to develop work at a smaller scale.
Dance and rehearsal facility · 2005
Dance Studios
Three dance studios are managed by Joy of Motion Dance Center. The studios support dance classes, rehearsals, training, and related educational or community activity within the Atlas complex.
Arts festival · 2010
Intersections Festival
Intersections is the Atlas's multidisciplinary arts festival. Launched in 2010, it was designed to connect artists from different disciplines, generations, and cultural backgrounds and to encourage new collaborations and forms of presentation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Intersections
Washington, D.C.
The Atlas introduced Intersections as a multidisciplinary arts festival bringing together artists of different disciplines, ages, and cultural backgrounds. The first edition ran across three weekends and attracted more than 5,000 attendees, many of whom were new to the Atlas and the H Street neighborhood.
Outcome. The festival established a recurring public-programming platform and strengthened the Atlas's identity as a cross-disciplinary and community-oriented arts center.
Brand decisions
2006
Expand the resident-partner arts modelStrategyBackground
The newly opened center required regular artistic activity and organizational partnerships to make use of its multiple venues and support its role in neighborhood renewal.
Action taken
Capital City Symphony relocated from Georgetown to the Atlas and adopted its current name, joining the center as one of its founding arts partners.
Aftermath
The move reinforced the Atlas's role as shared infrastructure for Washington performing arts organizations rather than only as a stand-alone presenting venue.
2004
Redevelop the former cinema as a multi-venue arts centerStrategyBackground
The organization sought to transform a closed historic movie theater in a declining but strategically important H Street corridor into a modern performing arts facility.
Action taken
The building was gutted, three adjacent buildings were incorporated under one roof, and the resulting complex was equipped with multiple theaters, studios, production spaces, dressing rooms, and offices.
Aftermath
The Atlas Performing Arts Center opened in March 2005 as a flexible home for performances, resident arts partners, rehearsals, education, and community programming.
Reported redevelopment cost. $22 million (Project beginning in 2004)
Recent events
- 2024
Jarrod Bennett becomes executive director[1]
Leadership change
Jarrod Bennett is identified as the organization's executive director beginning in 2024.
- 2010
Atlas launches the Intersections arts festival[1]
Campaign
The center presented its first Intersections festival, a multidisciplinary program intended to connect artists and audiences across disciplines, ages, and cultural backgrounds.
- 2005
Atlas Performing Arts Center opens after major redevelopment[1]
Other
The renovated arts complex opened in March 2005 after a reported approximately $22 million project that combined the former theater with three adjacent buildings.
Sources2 sources
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