By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 16, 2003; Page N04

After an 11-month renovation, the Opera House at the Kennedy Center will reopen this week, with improved access for all its patrons.

Most important, the seating and aisles in the 32-year-old auditorium have been adjusted to be more convenient for disabled guests. The catalyst for the $20 million overhaul was the need to comply with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, but integrated into that plan was a general sprucing-up.

"This is a universal design" to improve the hall for everyone, said Barbara Gartley, the project manager of the renovation. On Wednesday night, invited guests of Very Special Arts, the country's largest organization of disabled artists, will test the refurbished hall at a special event.

The program will include an excerpt from Leonard Bernstein's "Mass," the composition that debuted the night the center opened in 1971. Harolyn Blackwell and Douglas Webster will perform with the 220 members of Catholic University Orchestra and Chorus. Homer Avila, who had his right leg and hip amputated because of a rare form of cancer, will perform a piece called "Solo," and performers will do excerpts of the Deaf West Theatre production of "Big River" in English and American Sign Language.

The public will return to the Opera House the first weekend of December for the Kennedy Center Honors and then for the appearances of the Kirov Opera and Ballet companies. The Washington Opera will resume performances there in the spring. In a typical year, the Opera House has 225 performances, attended by a total of 500,000 people.

The renovations included a top-to-bottom cleaning, from the sprawling Austrian chandelier to the expanded orchestra pit. New features include a maple floor on the orchestra level. The red seats have been redone throughout the hall, along with cherry trim and arm rests. Cherry was used extensively in the renovation of the hall, from the wooden end pieces on each aisle to a series of panels in the house's main foyer.

The wood reflects the lighting, which has been redesigned using fixtures left over from adjustments to the Grand Foyer. There are also 170 new fixtures. The five miles of plain red carpeting was replaced; the new carpet is red with a small gold design. The red wall fabric was replaced with 7,000 yards of new material. And the 4,452-square-foot stage curtain, a gift from the government of Japan, has been cleaned.

The red motif, the most prominent feature of the Opera House, remains, but the custom-dyed shade has softened to a warm garnet, rather than the original firecracker red.

A new 31/2-foot-wide aisle now cuts across the seats on the first-floor level. The restrooms have been redone; all are now accessible to the disabled, as are the fountains and telephones. There are six additional women's stalls.

Five new monitors are scattered around the halls and foyers, so that stragglers can watch the stage while waiting to be admitted. Before the renovation, there was only one.

Patrons will experience more room in the area outside the opera house doors. One achievement was the removal of an intrusive glass costume case. Now costumes and other artifacts will be displayed in a case that is set into the wall.

The inside of the 2,300-seat Opera House will be roomier, too. The renovation team pushed back the rear wall on the orchestra level.

Several adjustments, including enlarging the boxes, gave the house more seats.

"We actually gained about 33 seats on the floor," said Larry R. Barr, the principal architect on the project and one of the leading architects of the Concert Hall modernization. In all, there are about 60 new seats or spaces for seating.

To reduce bottlenecks, there are two new doors at the rear of the hall.

The acoustics didn't require a major overhaul, but a new sound system was installed, principally for musicals.

The house has presented many obstacles for those with mobility problems. Now wheelchairs can be accommodated on each level. A new elevator has been added on the left side of the house as well as a new wheelchair lift between the box-tier lounge and the first-tier lounge on the north side of the hall. Corridors and entrance ramps have also been modified, with the addition of several new ramps.

Soula Antoniou, president of Very Special Arts, said the renovations will help not only the patrons but the artists with disabilities.

"It is not just about getting in the door but enjoying the arts and participating in the arts," she said. "This example of accessibility is a true model. Not only is the Opera House accessible, but the Kennedy Center is putting on the stage artists with disabilities. Access is about equity and artistic excellence."