A Historic Landmark Restored by CJMW: Pittman Auditorium, Raleigh, NC

Since 1906, Pittman Auditorium has stood at the center of campus life at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina—a National Register and Raleigh Historic Landmark that has anchored the school’s community for over a century. A building this significant deserves a future as meaningful as its past.

When Saint Mary’s School entrusted CJMW Architecture to lead the historic preservation and transformation of Pittman Auditorium into the Blanche Robertson Bacon Performing Arts Center, the work required as much reverence as it did vision. The process was meticulous, modernizing every system behind the walls while carefully preserving the historic details that make this landmark so beloved. The seating was fully reconfigured to 523 continental seats, 348 downstairs and 175 in the balcony above, while the restored stained-glass dome was preserved as the crown jewel of the renewed interior. The structural work alone required hand-grafting new steel components onto century-old timber roof trusses, and the project delivered the building’s first-ever ADA-compliant access, all while satisfying review by the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission.

The transformation didn’t stop at renovation. A new 3,500-square-foot addition, connected to the historic auditorium by a glass event lobby, now houses a Black Box Theatre, faculty spaces, and support facilities, bridging history and contemporary need in a single elegant gesture.

For CJMW, this project carries a special significance. Pittman Auditorium and CJMW both trace their roots to 1906. Some buildings and some firms are built to endure. We are honored to have played a role in preserving this one. Spanning 23,128 square feet, the project encompassed master planning, architecture, interior design, and FF&E, every detail handled with care for what came before and what is yet to come.