Taking center-stage
for this part of the performance?

A custom Savaria V-1504 Prestige vertical platform wheelchair lift (VPL) taking pride of place in the grand entrance lobby.

Accessibility
at center stage

2023 also saw significant accessibility upgrades to bring the 1960s venue up to current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

“The venue had an older and very basic wheelchair lift, kind of hidden around the back of the building and difficult to get to, even if you knew it was there,” said Brent Coutts, Chief Operating Officer of 101 Mobility Houston, the Savaria dealer on the Jones Hall project. “Like many buildings of that vintage, accessibility was unfortunately an afterthought with the equipment added much later and with insufficient attention paid to aesthetics and user convenience.”

Accessibility
can be beautiful

But in the 2020s, diversity, equity and inclusion are the name of the game. And accessibility can be beautiful. Indeed, the Savaria V-1504 Prestige was designed to add to the aesthetic appeal of upscale commercial and public buildings.

Built from ½-inch structural tempered glass with no visible frame, and stainless steel or optional colors for the tower and platform, it’s a sleekly modern approach to barrier-free access. Powered by a 20 ft/min hydraulic drive system operated by constant pressure controls, there’s no machine room needed, and it’s fully ADA compliant.

“The architect and project team really focused on the aesthetics of the accessibility lift for Jones Hall,” said Coutts. “They’d seen a similar Prestige at the Alley Theatre around the corner and knew it would look fantastic in the lobby here, so that’s what they specified.”

The new lift is located right beside the main staircase, requiring a custom travel distance of 90 inches to carry a wheelchair user and attendant from the street-level entrance to the mezzanine entry to the theatre proper—which has also been updated to include additional seating areas for wheelchair and scooter users, with a great view of all the action on stage.

Typically, the B wall of a VPL of this height would include 36 inches of stainless steel, but the designers on the Jones Hall project wanted the ultimate in aesthetic detail and specified that the B wall be made entirely of glass.

“We ended up with a 400 lb piece of glass for the B wall. I think it caused a few headaches for the Savaria quality control team, who insisted, quite rightly, that it be perfect with not a single nick, scratch or bubble.

I know I had some nightmares about installing it leading up to the big day. What if we wrecked it?” Coutts laughed.

But, of course, the installation went smoothly, using a four-person crew. With the clock ticking down to the final walkthrough before the opening of the next performance season. Coutts and his dedicated team spent four days installing the lift, all while other crews were drywalling, and the venue’s signature red carpet was being re-laid in the lobby.

“There we were, bringing in 5500 lbs of equipment, stainless steel, and glass, all while trying really hard to stay off the newly laid carpets. Want to lean your tools against the wall? Too bad, because the drywallers are there. Yes, was a little hectic, but the end result is so, so worth it!” said Coutts.