A year-round role for the Founders Club
The Hobby Center plans to increase the Founders Club’s use from about 30 performances a season to roughly 150. The proposed performance space would seat about 160 people, according to CultureMap Houston.
The Founders Club is a private 2,850-square-foot space on the mezzanine level of Sarofim Hall, according to the Hobby Center’s Founders Club information. CultureMap Houston reported that the planned venue would add club-style seating, a full bar and dining service during performances.
Campaign and construction timeline
The Hobby Center has raised $31 million toward its $45 million campaign, including three $5 million gifts from the Hamill Foundation, the Ken and Mady Kades Foundation, and the Sarofim Foundation. Houston Press reported that it is the center’s first philanthropy-driven capital campaign since the building opened in 2002.
Construction on the performance space is scheduled to start in summer 2027, with an opening targeted for fall 2028. CultureMap Houston reported that Gensler is the architect and interior designer, Charcoalblue is the theater consultant, and Forney Construction is the construction manager and general contractor.
The Hobby Center in the Theater District
The Hobby Center is part of a downtown performing-arts landscape that includes Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, which the City of Houston says hosts the Houston Symphony, Performing Arts Houston and the Houston Broadway Series, drawing more than 400,000 visitors to some 250 events annually. The city also describes Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts as a one-square-block plaza in the downtown Theater District that hosts concert series and civic events. The planned Founders Club venue would add a smaller-scale performance option to that mix, with about 160 seats and a proposed schedule of roughly 150 performances a season.
Education program growth
The campaign coincides with growth in the Hobby Center’s Discovery series. Houston Press reported that the program grew from serving 10,000 students across three districts to 50,000 students across 23 districts and schools this season. The center aims to reach 90,000 students over the next three years.
