Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

Overview

Initially established in 2011, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is a thriving live events venue located in a repurposed Baptist Church. Operated by the SJC Cultural Events Inc. 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the venue hosts over a hundred performances a year across a variety of musical genres. In May of 2024, the venue’s stakeholders committed to an ambitious upgrade of the performance space in order to better accommodate the bigger acts and larger crowds that it was regularly attracting.

Program

The WSDG design team was tasked with acoustic design on the project to ensure the lively, vibe of the venue would be preserved while also making improvements in speech intelligibility and audibility. As much of the music performed at the Concert Hall by national touring artists (folk, bluegrass, blues, rock, etc.), preserving the acoustical characteristics of these elements to enhance the quality of the performances was one of the most important aspects of the project.

WSDG partnered with local Ponte Vedra Beach architectural firm Fisher | Koppenhafer Architecture and Interior Design as well as A/V systems designer Stephen Unklebach of AVL Productions, and fellow acousticians Rulon International and EZ Acoustics. Notably, all of the partners are local Florida businesses who brought a shared sense of pride and enthusiasm to the project.

Design

WSDG created a 3D model of the live music venue and proposed a series of acoustic solutions that would be undetectable to the untrained eye while still providing the desired acoustic outcomes. The venue’s ceiling utilizes an open cell foam for thermal reasons. WSDG was able to add diffusion to the ceiling to solve certain low-frequency acoustical issues. Subtle, flutter-free diffusion was also added to the side and back walls for additional treatment. Electroacoustic requirements provided by AVL Productions for a new L-Acoustics line array were also taken into account, to ensure a lively sonic experience with improved low end.

The renovations for the main concert hall have increased its capacity by nearly 25%, allowing it to now support a standing room of 1100 or seated capacity of 615. The size of the stage was also increased to better accommodate larger groups of performers. The venue has retained its authentic charm creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Photo credit: © Jared Swafford / Ponte Vedra Concert Hall