Performing Arts Center Construction to Begin
October 13, 1998
Construction of famed architect Rafael Viñoly’s magnificently designed Regional Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia will begin immediately after groundbreaking ceremonies on Nov. 12.
Renowned City Planner Edmund N. Bacon, father of Philadelphia’s Center City renaissance, calls Viñoly’s design for the $245 million Center, "the most significant architectural work to be done in Philadelphia this century."
"Philadelphians can be proud that their city is now producing a structure worthy of setting the direction for all 21st Century architecture. . .," Bacon said.
The acoustics of the new, 2,500-seat Concert Hall, which will be the new home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, are being designed by the renowned Russell Johnson, whose recent major projects include the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ; Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England, and the Morton H. Myerson Symphony Center, in Dallas.
The 650-seat Recital Theater will house Philadanco, Concert Soloists Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and American Theater Arts for Youth. Its unique, 75-foot turntable stage is designed by famed theater consultant Richard Pilbrow, who has counted Hal Prince and Sir Laurence Olivier among his partners over the years.
The Academy of Music, to be operated as part of the Center, will become the permanent home of the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, giving each the opportunity to increase their number of annual productions and an increased performance schedule as well.
The Academy will also host an ambitious schedule of Broadway productions each year.
"This Center is Philadelphia’s ‘Overture to the 21st Century,’" its president, Stephanie W. Naidoff said. "It will be the very focal point of our region’s cultural; life for a century or more, and it will provide a tremendous boost to our Resident Companies and to the local economy."
Tom Muldoon, president of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Center would be invaluable in the region’s efforts to draw tourists from around the world.
"When this magnificent Center is added to the mix which already includes our world-class Convention Center, our new hotels and Philadelphia’s historic sites, Philadelphia will be an irresistible tourist attraction on the world travel scene," Muldoon said.
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