The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture and the Center for the Art of Performance have selected BAR Architects of San Francisco to renovate the Crest Theatre on Westwood Boulevard.

A landmark venue dating back to the 1940s, the Crest will be transformed into the UCLA Nimoy Theater, a performing arts space that will be operated and managed by CAP UCLA. Under the leadership of Kristy Edmunds, CAP UCLA’s executive and artistic director, the Nimoy Theater will collaborate with campus arts organizations as well as local and national cultural and community partners to develop year-round programming.

BAR Architects, with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, has a deep-rooted connection to the Crest Theatre dating back to the late 1980s when Disney selected BAR, in partnership with scenographer Joe Musil, to renovate the theater into a venue that would feature its latest films.

BAR will collaborate with the university and CAP UCLA to develop an innovative design that respects and complements the existing historic architecture while providing a new performing arts venue that is functional, flexible and easily adaptable.

“Converting the Crest Theatre into what will become ‘The Nimoy’ is a thrilling proposition for those of us who care deeply about the performing arts in Los Angeles,” said CAP UCLA Executive and Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds. “BAR brings an impressive depth of experience and an authentic care for this particular theater starting in the 1980s. Now that it will revert to its original use for live performance across disciplines, I was struck by how enthusiastic they were to be able to return to the venue with a bold vision for its enduring future.”

UCLA’s purchase of the long-dormant theater was made possible by gifts from actor, writer and director Susan Bay Nimoy, and an anonymous donor, including a $2.5 million challenge gift. CAP UCLA is launching a campaign to raise the funds necessary to meet the $2.5 million challenge (dollar-to dollar match), to support the theater’s renovation and to establish an operating endowment for future programs. With an anticipated opening date in 2021, the venue will be re-named in honor of Nimoy’s late husband, Leonard Nimoy.

For information, visit cap.ucla.edu.