Billings Is Booming

With the recent work-from-anywhere mantra, people are on the move, and Montana is growing. I found myself in Big Sky Country earlier this month at a GE Lamp reunion, celebrating with people who worked together in the Atlanta district almost 40 years ago!

On my way to the ranch, I stopped in Billings, where I met Madeline Randolfi, a commercial interior designer with Cushing Terrell, and Tim Kiser, the Technical Director of the Alberta Bair Theater.

We discussed the rapid growth of Billing's population, and Madeline explained that during the pandemic, many people moved here, buying homes site-unseen. Tim added, “A buddy of mine is a realtor, and he personally sold 15 houses during the height of the pandemic, all through FaceTime.” This explains why my 3.5-star hotel was $350.

With Billings being a melting pot of new and current residents, the city craved a world-class theater. The Alberta Bair Theater is a newly expanded and renovated 90-year-old Fox Theater originally completed in 1931, once featuring vaudeville acts.

The weather had a significant effect on the design of the lobby as well as the stage. Because of frigid and snowy winters, the expansion of the theater now captures a large portion of what was the existing sidewalk, allowing patrons to be inside the building and out of the snow. Given the potential for three to four-foot snow drifts on the rooftop during the winter and the additional weight from stage lighting and rigging, the existing structure was strengthened. Tim reinforced that the additional support provides the ability to host larger productions.

Madeline and Michael Gieser, a lighting designer with Cushing Terrell, completed the construction documents in 2019. Madeline explained that the two-year remodel was funded mostly by private donations and grants. The theater has the potential to bring a large amount of business to the city and thus to the local economy.

The space presented a unique opportunity because of the sheer size of the two-story expanded lobby. Madeline described the design process, stating, “Michael and I knew that we needed a luminaire with a large presence. It was difficult to find a fixture with enough volume to fill the space, and that also maintained the elegance of the remodel.” Madeline recalled that the original concept was to have multiple single decorative pendants that would have filled the two-story space. Then during the early stages of the project, the design team introduced the idea of one large pendant. After working through multiple iterations, the design team had exhausted all solutions to find the perfect fixture.

The Eureka rep, Frank Dugas, came by at a very opportune time. Frank introduced Madeline and Michael to the Droplet Celeste - a clean minimalist pendant featuring elegant artisanal casted glass discs. When Madeline saw installation images of the luminaire, she was impressed by its volume to appropriately fill a space. It was at that moment that the design team knew they found their answer. She explained, “There’s beauty in these fixtures; they have the appropriate scale and length while maintaining the desired aesthetic.”

The design team knew that the Alberta Bair Theater board members would equally love the Droplet Celeste. As difficult as it can be for board members to agree on a decision, they did not hesitate, as these multiple pendants added much more interest than one large fixture.

The luminaires were ordered just before COVID impacted the construction industry and disrupted the supply chain. With Eureka's pre-made plug-and-play packages, the design team found it easy to adjust the number of units to customize the luminaire to their liking.

The installation is beautiful as these glass luminaires cascade from above. Vertical stems pass through the light fixture to create visual continuity accentuated by the glowing glass disc to create a striking effect. At 3000K the luminaire blends well with the aesthetic of the building and its history. Besides looking beautiful from inside, seeing the lights through windows from across the street is stunning. The chandelier is art in its own right.

As the electrical engineer on the project, Michael was responsible for the lighting controls. “We used the Acuity nLight system. The fixtures are individually controlled by 0-10v power packs that are usually energized to 100% when the building is occupied," he explained.

The theater seats just under 1,400 people, but with the 4,800 square foot lobby, the theater can now accommodate more pre or post show events. The expansion provides the residents of Billings and the surrounding areas an opportunity to mingle inside of the theater with a beverage in hand, he explained.

Besides being a venue for the performing arts, the Alberta Bair Theater often partners with local schools to host educational programming. The nonprofit theater not only serves as an auditorium but also acts as a locale for children to foster their creativity.

The original Fox Theater was built on land owned, farmed, and ranched by Alberta Bair’s family. Before Alberta's passing, she donated the land for the arts. During the Great Recession, in order to fulfill Alberta's wishes, the city ensured that the theater remained.

If you ever find yourself in Montana, don’t hesitate to step into the Alberta Bair Theater in the center of downtown Billings. White you're at it, you may as well enjoy a show. ■