- Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
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Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts 
The Ziff Ballet Opera House on opening weekend, as seen from across the street at the Knight Concert HallGeneral information Location 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, Florida Coordinates 25°47′14″N 80°11′24″W / 25.78722°N 80.19°WCoordinates: 25°47′14″N 80°11′24″W / 25.78722°N 80.19°W 
The Knight Concert Hall on opening weekend from the north
Interior of the Ziff Ballet Opera House
Interior of the Knight Concert HallAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, commonly called The Arsht Center, is Florida's largest performing arts center and is located on Biscayne Boulevard in the Omni neighborhood of Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States. It is the second-largest performing arts center in the United States by area (not seats), after the Lincoln Center in New York City.[1]
The Center was partly built on the grounds of a former Burdines department store; it was an Art Deco building constructed in 1929, predating the Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive.[2] 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 a seven-story tower built by Sears, the space's successor. The department store space itself had been demolished. It was decided to preserve the tower and incorporate it into the new performing arts center.
The Arsht Center is the headquarters and home of the Florida Grand Opera and Miami City Ballet. The New World Symphony also regularly performs at the Knight Concert Hall.
The Center opened as the "Carnival Center" (later to be renamed the Arsht Center in 2008) with a grand opening on October 5, 2006 with many famous performers, politicians and movie stars attending, including Gloria Estefan, Jeb Bush, Andy García and Bernadette Peters.[3]
The Arsht Center is served by the Miami Metrorail at Government Center Station and directly by the Metromover's Adrienne Arsht Center Station.
Contents
Architecture
Designed by the distinguished architect, Cesar Pelli, the Center occupies 570,000 square feet (53,000 m2), straddling both sides of Biscayne Boulevard which are connected by a pedestrian bridge.
Acoustics were designed by Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants company. He is mostly known for the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.
Performing arts and other venues
The Cleveland Orchestra and its conductor Franz Welser-Möst presents a three-week residency each year. The Center has four resident companies which present seasons throughout the year in the Center's halls. Resident companies include: The New World Symphony, the Miami City Ballet and the Florida Grand Opera.
There are three main venues:
- Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House which seats 2,400.
- John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall
The concert hall seats 2,200. Its stage extends into the audience and there is seating behind the stage for 200 additional spectators or for a chorus. The orchestra level can be transformed into a "Grand Ballroom" with a festival floor configuration for dining and dancing for up to 850 people. The floor is installed over the seats.
- Carnival Studio Theater
A flexible black-box space designed for up to 200 seats.
In addition, there are two smaller multi-purpose venues:
- Peacock Rehearsal Studio holds 270 people.
- Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, an outdoor social and performance space linking the two main houses across Biscayne Blvd.
The center also houses a fine-dining restaurant, Prelude By Barton G., operated by party planner/restaurateur Barton G. Weiss.
Full view of the center, 3 Feb 2010 Notable Performances
Broadway In Miami Include : The Addams Family, NETworks Presents Shrek, The Musical, Million Dollar Quartet, Come Fly Away, The Lion King, 2009 Revival of Hair, In The Heights, Jersey Boys, NETworks Presents Disney's Beauty and The Beast, Dreamgirls, RAIN – A Tribute to The Beatles, Forbidden Broadway, Spring Awakening, Mamma Mia!, Wicked, 101 Dalmatians Musical, Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple, Chicago, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cats, NETworks Presents Annie, NETworks Presents The Wizard of Oz, Avenue Q, Monty Python's Spamalot, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, My Fair Lady, Twelve Angry Men Starring Richard Thomas & George Wendt, Wicked, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, RENT, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Light in the Piazza
Name change
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 for 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.[4]
Gallery
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Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House view from I-395
See also
References
- ^ http://gomiami.about.com/od/artsculture/p/ArshtCenter.htm
- ^ Lopez-Bernal, Gabriel. "What’s in a Name? A whole lot more than you’d think…", Transit Miami, 2007-05-23. Retrieved on 2009-07-09.
- ^ Tommasini, Anthony. "Miami Vivace: New Arts Center Opens Its Arms", The New York Times, 2007-02-04. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ "Donation prompts Carnival Center renaming", South Florida Business Journal, 2008-01-10. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
External links
- Arshts Center's official website
- Dade County listings from National Register of Historic Places
- Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami at Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
- Performing Arts Center District
Categories:- Buildings and structures completed in 2006
- Performing arts centers in Florida
- Buildings and structures in Miami, Florida
- Concert halls in the United States
- Culture of Miami, Florida
- Opera houses in the United States
- César Pelli buildings
- Event venues established in 2006
- Visitor attractions in Miami, Florida
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