1990's Building Spree

It started with the $54 Million Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale. It opened in 1991 with the Florida Philharmonic in the spotlight. The complex, designed by Benjamin Thompson & Associates (designer of Baltimore’s Harborplace, Miami’s Bayside, and New York’s South Street Seaport), contains a 2700 seat hall (Au-Rene), a 590 seat hall, (Amaturo), and the Abdo New River Room conference facility. The Center attracts about half a million people annually. In its first five years it had a $330 million impact in the community (including $100 million in new construction in the Arts and Sciences District).

Next we saw the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West986featur2.gif Palm Beach. It cost $63 million and the opening concert in 1992 featured the Florida Philharmonic, Burt Reynolds (as MC), Roberta Peters, Isaac Stern, Leontyne Price, and Ella Fitzgerald (and that was just the first act!) Built by Blount, Inc. (of New Orleans Superdome fame), it has the 2193 seat Dreyfoos Hall, the 300-seat "black box" Rinker Playhouse, the 1600-seat Gosman Amphitheatre, and sits on a 5.4 acre parcel of prime downtown real estate.

Not to forget the $8 million Coral Springs City Center in 1990 and the new facility in Miami set to open in 2002 (more on that next time)...
Share/Save/Bookmark

Write reply

This item is closed, it's not possible to add new comments to it or to vote on it

Comments must be approved before being published.