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Long Center for the Performing Arts Print



In November 1998, the citizens of Austin voted to approve the City’s lease of the Lester E. Palmer Auditorium to the nonprofit group Arts Center Stage for renovation into a community performing arts venue. In April 1999, Arts Center Stage received its lead gift of $20 million from Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long, and the Arts Center Stage project was renamed the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts. In November 1999, the Long Center hired renowned Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as project architect for the Long Center project. The schematic design was completed in July 2000, and the design development phase was completed in February 2001. By early 2001, the Long Center had raised over $40 million of its fundraising goal. Construction documents for the Long Center were completed in March 2002. By August 2002, the Long Center had raised over $61 million of its proposed $110 million goal. The project was designed to be a four-theatre venue with capacity ranging from a 232-seat studio theatre to a 2,400-seat grand theatre. Due to the slow economy, the Long Center’s goal became more ambitious than could be immediately supported by key community philanthropists. In May 2003, after discussions with major donors, the Long Center Board of Trustees, community arts leaders, and staff began to research options to refine the project costs, including whether the project could be constructed in phases. The project goal throughout these discussions remains the same: To fit the arts organizations’ essential needs and the community’s capacity for giving. A New Beginning Dell Construction The Long Center unveiled a new project in October 2003. Board, staff, and community arts leaders worked diligently to provide a new plan that will provide a home for the major performing arts organization and provide a showcase venue for the city's over 200 small and minority performing arts organizations. On October 24, 2003, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a revised project plan to first build the largest theatre, the Michael & Susan Dell Hall (2,300 seats) and the community theatre, the Debra & Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre (240 seats) in Phase I for a total project cost of $77 million, including hard and soft construction costs, a $10 million endowment, and administrative/operational costs through the first year of the Long Center’s opening. The new master site plan will allow for additional spaces to be added in Phase II of the project including the Topfer Theatre and a Recital & Education Building as fundraising continues. On December 10, 2003, the Board of Trustees approved TeamHaas Architects, in conjunction with Ziedler Partnerships, as lead architects; Fisher Dachs Associates for theatre planning and design; and Jaffe Holden Acoustics, Inc., as acoustician. Project Status Abatement and deconstruction of the old Palmer Auditorium began in May 2005 and was completed in October 2005. New construction for the Long Center began in November 2005 and ended on time and on budget in early 2008. The grand opening of the Long Center took place on March 28, 2008. The Future The Long Center is an important achievement for Austin. Its impact reaches well beyond providing space for arts organizations. It will help define the character of the Austin community for generations to come. The Long Center for the Performing Arts will be an important entertainment center for Central Texas. Its design, location, and generous early support combine to create an exciting cultural and economic resource for Austin. The Long Center will contribute to the economic future of Central Texas, playing a role in the recruitment of new corporations and employees to our area, revitalizing downtown, increasing tourism and educational opportunities, and further boosting Austin’s image as one of the nation’s “best cities.” The Long Center for the Performing Arts is founded on the belief that the performing arts are essential components in the quality of life of our community. Our performing arts organizations - from the smallest to the largest - deserve and need facilities that reflect their contribution to the culture of our community. Therefore, our mission is to manage a state-of-the-art, multi-venue facility that will host the broad spectrum of Austin's performing arts organizations.

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Actor P Media

Actress Teresa Palmer (silhouette)