Acoustical Design of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened in Washington, D.C., on 8 September 1971. This institution was originally established by Act of Congress in 1958 as the National Cultural Center, but, following the death of President Kennedy, a law was passed in 1964 renaming it as his sole official memorial in the nation's capital. This paper describes some of the special problems related to noise control that required solution, the basic features of the acoustical design of the halls—a 2759 seat concert hall, a 2319 seat opera house, and a 1142 seat theater—and some of the physical characteristics and acoustical properties of the halls.