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Spacious modern loft with wood floors, exposed beams and ducts, long lights, and a few tables and chairs

The Joan & Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center

Cygnet Theatre

Navy Building 178 has stood at Liberty Station for decades, its bones outlasting the military mission it was built to serve. The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center— The Joan—gives it a new purpose as a dynamic hub for performance, connection, and community.

Designed by obrARCHITECTURE, A Lionakis Company, this 40,000 square foot adaptive reuse project opened September 10, 2025 as the new home of Cygnet Theatre, transforming a historic structure into a vibrant anchor for Liberty Station's Arts District. The Joan honors the building's existing fabric while introducing spaces designed for the full range of live performance, community gathering, storytelling, and cultural engagement: a 300-seat proscenium theater, a 125-seat flexible studio space called The Dottie, and a 900-square-foot rehearsal and event space.

Open-air lobbies, landscaped patios, ADA-accessible seating, concessions, and state-of-the-art production equipment complete a venue designed to welcome both artists and community members.
Empty modern lecture hall with rows of green seats and wood armrests
An empty theater with a large unfinished stage set, rows of yellow seats, and a piano in the foreground
A backstage dressing room with clothing racks, vanity mirrors, chairs, and shoes scattered on the floor
Spacious modern loft with wood floors, exposed beams and ducts, long lights, and a few tables and chairs
Empty modern lobby with wood beams, a curved reception desk, and large windows letting in daylight

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