The Mulehouse

MJM Architects

The Mulehouse is located in Columbia, TN, subject to an Historic District overlay. The sloped site is home to three buildings, 2 of which were in scope:
-The auditorium building, constructed in 1949, replacing an earlier church, circa 1876. The building has a full basement, with at-grade entrances to both levels.
-The educational building, constructed in 1936, to append the original auditorium. This is a three story building, wholly above grade.
The vision was a state-of-the-art performance venue with an old-world grand hall aesthetic; a space large enough to interest nationally renowned performers, but still provide an intimate venue experience, for not only live performances, but also for televised broadcasts & livestreaming.
The scope of work included a new front entry feature with code compliant steps, sidewalk & courtyard, as well as building a larger stage & back of house, with both structural & audio/ visual capacity to support any artist’s sound equipment & lighting rigs, including recording & broadcast studios. The back of house was outfitted with an artist greenroom suite, as well as support offices. The basement was partitioned to provide a lounge & bar, with accessible restrooms, as well as storage & support rooms. In the auditorium, the ceilings & wood trim were removed to expose the wood plank gable roof & steel structure; provisions were made to leave them all exposed, cleaning & sealing the steel to preserve its patina, and installing acoustic baffles & panels. Plaster was removed from the walls to expose the brick & structural tile, with all new millwork & decorative trim. The existing stairs to the balcony, previously only accessible from the lobby, were reworked to originate within the auditorium, making room to provide an accessible restroom off the auditorium lobby, and to add a communicating stair down to the new basement bar & lounge. Throughout the space, existing doors & hardwood floors were preserved wherever possible, with new hardware & finishes.
Project challenges included satisfying the district review board, reconciling the program to a multi-level site, bringing the historic building up to code, as well as major budget shortfalls and the onset of Covid, with staffing issues, material shortages and delays, but the AOC team persevered to meet those challenges. Opened in May 2021, The Mulehouse immediately became a community hub, hosting not only local & private events but nationally acclaimed talents ranging from full bands to comedians.