After two and a half years of construction, the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College has reopened following a $123.8 million expansion and renewal led by Snøhetta.
This revitalized gateway to the campus’s Arts District strengthens Dartmouth’s long-standing commitment to interdisciplinary creativity, providing new performance and rehearsal spaces, improved accessibility, and greater connections to the surrounding arts buildings.
Originally designed in 1962 by Wallace K. Harrison, the Hopkins Center was among the first university facilities to unite multiple artistic disciplines under one roof. Snøhetta’s project preserves this visionary spirit while expanding its scope — complementing the Hop’s iconic arches, expressive form, and beloved gathering spaces such as the Top of the Hop, Moore Theatre, and Spaulding Auditorium.
Continuity and Contrast
The design balances heritage and renewal, introducing contemporary spaces that respect Harrison’s sculptural vocabulary while responding to the textures of New Hampshire’s landscape.
The exterior plaza is sculpted to encourage intuitive movement, guiding visitors naturally toward gathering areas and entrances. Designed as a platform for campus life, it welcomes visitors while offering a glimpse into the dynamic creative processes unfolding inside the building.
The expansion also strengthens the relationship between the Hop and the larger Arts District — a transformation that follows the Black Family Visual Arts Center (2012, Machado Silvetti) and the Hood Museum of Art renovation (2019, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects).
The Forum: A New Heart for the Hop
At the core of the renewal is the Forum, a luminous new lobby that connects old and new spaces into a cohesive whole.
Active from morning to evening, the Forum serves as a social and cultural commons — a place for students, faculty, and visitors to meet, collaborate, or gather before and after performances.
A central stair links the Forum to the second-floor Recital Hall and Performance Lab, as well as to the Dance Studio below, forming a spatial loop that enhances interaction between disciplines.
The Recital Hall stands as the expansion’s centerpiece: a 150-seat glass lantern overlooking the plaza, framing views of the Baker Library Tower and the maple canopy of The Green. Its tapered, arch-framed windows use an innovative curved mullion system that bathes the flexible seating area in daylight. Equipped with advanced audiovisual systems, the hall also supports digital broadcasting, positioning the Hop as a contemporary media and performance hub.
Spaces for Movement and Making
Below the Forum lies the new Dance Studio, a partially submerged rehearsal space with north-facing clerestory windows that filter soft, natural light. As the Hop’s first purpose-built dance studio, it features 24-foot ceilings and a bright, adaptable interior suited for rehearsals and choreography.
Snøhetta also refurbished Spaulding Auditorium and revitalized the Top of the Hop, maintaining their character while integrating new technologies and finishes. Together, these spaces celebrate the Hop’s legacy as both a social gathering place and a stage for artistic exploration.
An Architecture of Collaboration
The renewed Hopkins Center amplifies the institution’s interdisciplinary spirit, with facilities that support hybrid practices and new forms of performance.
The expansion introduces digital and broadcast capabilities, rehearsal rooms, and production spaces that bridge physical and virtual stages, enabling artists and audiences to engage across formats.
As Snøhetta describes, the design reflects “the combination of the rugged and refined that defines this corner of New Hampshire.” The project channels this duality into a building that feels both anchored in place and open to innovation — a space where art can be seen, heard, and made visible in every sense.
The Heart of a Creative Campus
Since 1962, the Hopkins Center for the Arts has stood as a vital meeting point for performance, education, and community life.
With Snøhetta’s expansion, the Hop reclaims its position as the beating heart of Dartmouth’s creative campus — a place that invites discovery, sparks collaboration, and celebrates the power of the arts to connect people and ideas.
A lantern for the arts, the renewed Hop shines with openness and continuity — illuminating both the legacy and the future of creativity at Dartmouth.
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Images by Jeff Goldberg, courtesy of Snøhetta
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