Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

Last updated

Arsht Center
Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts 20100203.jpg
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, February 2010
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Full nameAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
Former namesMiami Performing Arts Center (planning/construction)
Carnival Center for the Performing Arts (2006-08)
Address1300 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, Florida
Location Arts & Entertainment District
Coordinates 25°47′15″N80°11′32″W / 25.7876332°N 80.1920912°W / 25.7876332; -80.1920912
Owner Government of Miami-Dade County
Construction
Broke groundOctober 15, 2001 (2001-10-15)
OpenedOctober 5, 2006 (2006-10-05)
Construction cost$472 million ($812 million in 2023) [1]
Tenants
Website
Venue Website
Building details
Design and construction
Architect(s) César Pelli & Associates
Structural engineer Ove Arup & Partners
Services engineer Cosentini Associates
Civil engineerBalmori Associates
Other designers
  • Artec Consultants
  • BDS Steel Detailers
  • Fisher Dachs Associates
  • Architects Hall Designers
  • Frazier & Associates
  • Tnemec Company
  • Florida Protective Coatings Consultants
  • Jasper Enterprises
  • ADF Steel Fabrication
  • McGilvray Inc
  • Poole & Kent Contractors
  • GHSC
  • Enclos
Main contractor

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. According to Arts Management Magazine, [2] the Arsht Center presents artists from around the world, innovative programming from its three resident companies and local arts partners, free community events that reflect Miami’s identity and arts education experiences for thousands of Miami children each year. Family Fest, Free Gospel Sundays, CommuniTea LGBTQ+ celebration and Heritage Fest are among dozens of free events the Arsht Center presents to bring together people from all walks of life to celebrate each other through the live performing arts. Since 2020, the Arsht Center has presented more than 100 pop-up performances at hospitals, parks and libraries in communities throughout Miami-Dade County.

Contents

The center was partly built on the site of a former Sears department store; an Art Deco building constructed in 1929, predating the Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive. [3] It was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as Sears, Roebuck and Company Department Store. However, by 2001, the only surviving part of the original structure was the seven-story tower designed by Sears as its store's grand entrance. The department store space itself had been demolished and developers decided to preserve the tower and incorporate it into the new performing arts center.

History

Interior of the opera house Ziffballetoperahouseinterior.jpg
Interior of the opera house

The Center opened as the Carnival Center on October 5, 2006, with performers, politicians and movie stars attending, including Gloria Estefan, Jeb Bush, Andy García, and Bernadette Peters. [4]

On January 10, 2008, it was announced that philanthropist and business leader Adrienne Arsht donated $30 million to the facility that would make it financially stable. In recognition of the gift, the former Carnival Center for the Performing Arts was renamed The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, or the Arsht Center for short. [5]

In December 2008, M. John Richard joined the center as president and CEO after more than 20 years at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). [6]

Founded in 2011, the Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (“TSNDC”) was planned to oversee the development of the Arsht Center district. TSNDC's volunteer board: Armando Codina, chairman of Codina Partners, as chair; Manny Diaz, former City of Miami mayor, as vice chair; Michael Eidson, chairman of the Performing Arts Center Trust Board of Directors and partner of the South Florida law firm Colson Hicks Eidson, as treasurer; and Parker Thomson, founding chair of the Performing Arts Center Trust Board of Directors, as secretary. In 2019, Johann Zietsman succeeded John Richard as president and CEO after ten years in the same role at Arts Commons in Calgary. [7]

In 2016, AileyCamp Miami, run by the Arsht Center, received a 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Award Program at the White House. [8]

In 2022, the Arsht Center was nominated for a Latin Grammy for its collaboration with flamenco dancer Siudy Garrido on the documentary Bailaora. [9]

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, a $470 million component of an ongoing urban revitalization effort in downtown Miami, has catalyzed over $1 billion in economic investments within the local community. [10]

Architecture & venues

Interior of the concert hall Knightconcerthallinterior.jpg
Interior of the concert hall

The center was designed by César Pelli [10] and occupies two 570,000 square feet (53,000 m2) sites straddling Biscayne Boulevard connected by a pedestrian bridge. Acoustics were designed by Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants company. He also worked on the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. [11]

There are three main venues all of which can be rented for event space by the public:

In addition, there are two smaller multi-purpose venues:

Seating Capacity
Ziff Ballet Opera House2,400
Knight Concert Hall2,200
Thomson Plaza for the Arts1,000
Adams Foundation Lobby600
Ryder System Lobby400
Peacock Foundation Studio300
Carnival Studio Theater297
Peacock Education Center150
Next Generation Green Room80
Terra Group Patrons Club77

Events and performances

Programmatic series include Jazz Roots, Knight Masterworks Classical Music, Theater Up Close, Live at Knight, Flamenco Festival, Family Fest, City Theatre's yearly short play festival Summer Shorts and more. The Center hosts approximately 400 performances and events each year that attract an average of 450,000 people to Miami's urban core. [15] More than 85% of the performances at the Center are presented by the Center.

Community and Education

Educational programs, many of which are planned with Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the resident companies, and community-based organizations, offer unique opportunities for young people and adults to learn about and enjoy the performing arts both in the center and out in their communities. Examples include Jazz Roots Sound Check, a program that hosts 1,000 high school jazz musicians for a behind-the-scenes look at a working sound check, an opportunity to jam with artists, a lecture and free concert tickets; [16] AileyCamp Miami, a six-week full-scholarship summer camp which debuted in 2009;. [17] and the Learning Through the Arts program, which provides live music, theater and dance experiences to Miami public school children. The Learning Through the Arts programs include three musicals produced by the Arsht Center: Kitty Hawk, I am Me and The Busy Bees’ Great Adventure. The Busy Bees’ Great Adventure premiered in October 2023 and teaches kids about the importance of saving the planet. [18]

Presidential Debates

The Center was the site of the first Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign, held on June 26–27, 2019, [19] and was due to host the second of three general election debates in October 2020, but this did not go ahead. President Donald Trump had contracted COVID-19 in the week before the debate and was recovering from it; for reasons of safety, the Commission on Presidential Debates proposed a virtual debate instead but Trump refused to participate. Instead, NBC News held a town-hall style event with President Trump alone, moderated by Savannah Guthrie, within the outdoor portico of the neighbouring Pérez Art Museum; the Democratic nominee, former Vice-President Joe Biden, participated in a simultaneous town-hall debate with George Stephanopoulos for ABC News at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [20] The Arsht Center hosted the third Republican primary debate of the 2024 presidential campaign on November 8th 2023. [21]

Broadway in Miami series

The 2018–2019 Broadway in Miami series included Hello Dolly , Irving Berlin's White Christmas , Les Misérables , Waitress , School of Rock: The Musical , Come From Away , and The Lion King . As a bonus to subscribers of the 2018/19 season, they were promised first access to Hamilton tickets once those went on sale. [22]

2017–2018 shows included On Your Feet!: The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, The Bodyguard, Finding Neverland, The Color Purple, Chicago, and The Book of Mormon.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami</span> City in Florida, United States

Miami, officially the City of Miami, is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a population of 6.14 million, is the second-largest metropolitan area in the Southeast after Atlanta, and the ninth-largest in the United States. With a population of 442,241 as of the 2020 census, Miami is the second-most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville. Miami has the third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises, 61 of which exceed 491 ft (150 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Creek, Florida</span> Village in Florida

Indian Creek is a village, gated community, and man-made barrier island in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It has 41 residential home sites and the Indian Creek Country Club. The village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The concentration of highly affluent people on the island has earned it the nickname "Billionaire Bunker". The population was 84 at the 2020 census. The village has its own government and law enforcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key Biscayne, Florida</span> Village in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Key Biscayne is an island village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The village is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 14,809 at the 2020 census, up from 12,344 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida International University</span> Public university in University Park, Florida, US

Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in University Park, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florida and the eighth-largest public university in the United States by enrollment. FIU is a constituent part of the State University System of Florida and one of four state-designated Preeminent State Research Universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Tower (Miami)</span> Building in Miami, Florida, US

The Freedom Tower is a building in Miami, Florida. It was designed by Schultze and Weaver and is currently used as a contemporary art museum and a central office to different disciplines in the arts associated with Miami Dade College. It is located at 600 Biscayne Boulevard on Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government Center station (Miami)</span> Miami-Dade Transit metro station

Government Center station is an intermodal transit hub in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida. It is operated by Miami-Dade Transit and serves as a transfer station for the Metrorail and Metromover rapid transit systems and as a bus station for Metrobus, Paratransit, and Broward County Transit buses. MiamiCentral is directly connected via a pedestrian bridge over NW 3rd Street. The station is located near the intersection of Northwest First Street and First Avenue, a part of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Building. It opened to service May 20, 1984, next to the site of a former FEC railway station which is now MiamiCentral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne Arsht Center station</span> Miami Metromover station

Adrienne Arsht Center station, formerly Omni station, is a Metromover station in the Arts & Entertainment District neighborhood of Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States. The station is adjacent to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, just west of The Miami Herald building and the Venetian Causeway, and directly south of the MacArthur Causeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World School of the Arts</span> Public magnet, college in Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States

The New World School of the Arts (NWSA) is a public magnet high school and college in Downtown Miami, Florida. Its dual-enrollment programs in the visual and performing arts are organized into four strands: visual arts, dance, theatre, and music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Grand Opera</span> Opera company in Miami, Florida, United States

Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is an American opera company based in Miami, Florida. It is the oldest performing arts organization in Florida and the seventh oldest opera company in the United States. FGO was created in 1994 from the consolidation of two opera companies in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region: Opera Guild of Greater Miami, founded in 1941 by Arturo di Filippi; and the Opera Guild, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, formed in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venetian Islands, Florida</span> Neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States

The Venetian Islands are a chain of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. The islands are, from west to east: Biscayne Island (Miami), San Marco Island (Miami), San Marino Island, Di Lido Island, Rivo Alto Island, and Belle Isle. Flagler Monument Island remains an uninhabited picnic island, originally built in 1920 as a memorial to railroad pioneer Henry Flagler. The islands are connected by bridges from the Miami mainland to Miami Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Downtown Miami</span> Neighborhood in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States

Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida, United States. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It is divided by the Miami River and is bordered by Midtown Miami's Edgewater, and Wynwood sections to its north, Biscayne Bay to its east, the Health District and Overtown to its west, and Coconut Grove to its south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut Grove Playhouse</span> Theatre in Miami, Florida, United States

The Coconut Grove Playhouse was a theatre in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The building was originally constructed as a movie theater called the Player's State Theater. It opened on January 1, 1927, as a part of the Paramount chain. The movie house was designed by the architect Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott. It was built by local realtors Irving J. Thomas and Fin L. Pierce. Albert Peacock was the contractor.

Ruth Shack is an American politician who served as the sponsor of the 1977 Human Rights Ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida. She served on the Metro-Dade County Commission after being elected in 1976, 1978 and 1982. After leaving the commission, she became the President of the Dade Community Foundation. She retired in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grand Doubletree</span> Residential and Hotel in Florida, United States

The DoubleTree by Hilton Grand Hotel Biscayne Bay, also referred as The Grand or The Grand DoubleTree, is a high-rise on the north side of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. It lies within the Arts & Entertainment District. It was completed in 1986 and designed by the Atlanta architectural firm of Toombs, Amisano and Wells. It is a condominium and hotel. Floors 3–9 are hotel rooms. Floors 10–42 contain over 830 condominium units. The hotel portion contains 152 rooms, and was renovated in 2004. The building is very large, with almost 3.5 million square feet (325,161 m2) of floor space, though this likely includes a large parking garage across the street that is shared with the Omni complex.

M. Anthony Burns is an American businessman and chairman emeritus of the board of directors of Ryder, a United States-based provider of transportation and supply chain management products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arts & Entertainment District</span> Neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States

The Arts & Entertainment District, or previously known as Omni, is a neighborhood of Downtown Miami, Florida. It is bound roughly by North 19th Street to the north, North 10th Street to the south, North West 2nd Avenue to the west, and Biscayne Boulevard to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sears, Roebuck and Company Department Store (Miami, Florida)</span> United States historic place

The Sears, Roebuck and Company Department Store in Miami, Florida was an Art Deco building built in 1929 for Sears, Roebuck and Company. The building was the first known implementation of Art Deco architecture in the county and was spectacular. It was followed a year later by the Shrine Building, an application of Art Deco with local Seminole Indian motifs added as an interesting twist. Both were covered in a 1988 study of Downtown Miami historic resources, but were not NRHP-listed due to owner objections at the time. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1997. Only its tower remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne Arsht</span> American lawyer

Adrienne Arsht is an American businesswoman and philanthropist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dotie Joseph</span> American politician from Florida

Dotie Joseph is a Democratic member of the Florida Legislature representing the State's 108th House district. Joseph was born in Haiti and moved to Florida in 1982. She lives in North Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara M. Carey-Shuler</span>

Barbara M. Carey-Shuler, public servant, community activist and educator served as the first African American woman on the Board of County Commissioners for Miami-Dade County, Florida when she was appointed by then-Governor Robert Bob Graham on December 10, 1979. She was elected to the Commission in 1982, 1986, 1996, 2000, and 2004 while serving as the chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners from 2002 to 2004, when she became the first African-American to hold the position in the 60 years of Miami-Dade County governance.

References

  1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. "The Adrienne Arsht Center Marks 15 Years With Unique Cultural Flair El Centro Adrienne Arsht celebra 15 años con un estilo cultural único | AMM". Arts Management Magazine. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  3. Lopez-Bernal, Gabriel (May 23, 2007). "What's in a Name? A whole lot more than you'd think..." Transit Miami . Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  4. Tommasini, Anthony (February 4, 2007). "Miami vivace: New arts center opens its arms". The New York Times . Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  5. "Donation prompts Carnival Center renaming". South Florida Business Journal . January 10, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
  6. Dolen, Christine (January 29, 2018). "After a decade, Arsht Center President John Richard plans his exit". The Miami Herald.
  7. "The Arsht Center appoints Johann Zietsman as CEO and President" (Press release). PR Newswire. November 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  8. The White House (November 15, 2016). "AileyCamp Miami youth program awarded at White House". The Miami Herald.
  9. "The Adrienne Arsht Center | Artist | LatinGRAMMY.com". www.latingrammy.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Adrienne Arsht Center, myflorida.com.
  11. "Famed architect Cesar Pelli finally has a project in Dallas". Dallas News. June 19, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Le Arsht Center, frenchdistrict.com.
  13. Johann Zietsman Named CEO Of Adrienne Arsht Center, in celebrityaccess.com, December 12, 2018.
  14. Carnival Studio Theater, arshtcenter.org.
  15. "Adrienne Arsht Center: 2021-2022 Report to the Community". digital.arshtcenter.org. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  16. Miami, Artburst. "Arsht Center's SoundCheck Program Sets Students on Path to Success". Miami New Times. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  17. Newspapers, Community (June 28, 2021). "AileyCamp Miami returns to the Arsht Center for its 13th season! | Biscayne Bay Tribune#" . Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  18. Aguirre, Louis (October 5, 2023). "'Bee' the change: New Miami musical teaches kids importance of saving planet". WPLG. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  19. Grynbaum, Michael M. (June 25, 2019). "Debates Mark the Starting Line for the Media's Race Through 2020". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  20. "Miami Selected as Site for Second Presidential Debate". WTVJ . June 23, 2020.
  21. "Inside look at site of Miami's Republican presidential debate". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. November 8, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  22. Stafford Hagwood, Rod (February 9, 2018). "'Hamilton' teased for 2019–2020 Broadway season in Miami". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. No. 2018–02–09. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved January 18, 2022.