Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Coordinates: 28°32′17″N 81°22′41″W / 28.538032°N 81.378192°W / 28.538032; -81.378192

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Exterior of venue (c.2014)
Address	445 S Magnolia Ave Orlando, FL 32801
Location	Downtown Orlando
Owner	City of Orlando
Type	Performing arts center
Capacity	2,731 (Walt Disney Theater) 1,700 (Steinmetz Hall) 400 (DeVos Family Room) 294 (Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater)
Construction
Broke ground	June 23, 2011 (2011-06-23)
Opened	November 6, 2014 (2014-11-06)
Expanded	2016-19
Construction cost	Phase 1: $383 million Phase 2: $185 million
Architect	Barton Myers, Baker Barrios Architects, Inc., HKS Architects, Inc.
Project manager	AMS Planning & Research Corp
Structural engineer	Harmon, Inc., Uni-Systems Engineering
Services engineer	Randall Mechanical, Inc.
General contractor	Balfour Beatty Construction
Main contractors	Forte Young, Inc., R.L. Burns, Inc., Rey Group, Inc.
Tenants
Orlando Ballet (2014-present)
Website
Venue Website

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (commonly known as the Dr. Phillips Center) is a performing arts center in Downtown Orlando, Florida, United States. It replaced the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, originally opened as the Orlando Municipal Auditorium in 1927.^[1] The center's grand opening was held on November 6, 2014.^[2]

Barton Myers is the design architect, with acoustics by Artec Consultants and Theatre Project Consultants designing the theaters.

About

Venue during construction (March 2014)

The venue was approved along with a new Amway Center (which replaced the Amway Arena) and improvements to the Citrus Bowl after a series of hearings and votes, culminating in final votes in the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on July 26, 2007, and the Orlando City Council on August 6, 2007.

The design for the new venue was revealed on August 21, 2008. The venue features a 2,700-seat amplified hall (Walt Disney Theater) for Broadway theater-class play events and a 300-seat venue (Pugh Theater) for smaller shows and events.^[3] A third theater, a 1,700-seat acoustic hall (Steinmetz Hall) for ballet, operas, orchestral performances, and banquets began construction on March 6, 2017, with a completion date in 2020.

The venue will cost US$514 million, with the completion of the third stage, Steinmetz Hall. Two-thirds of the funding comes from public funds, largely from the Orange County tourist development tax. The other one-third comes from private donations, including a large grant from the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation, the philanthropic organization funded through the estate of Dr. Philip Phillips.

A slow-down in the tourist development tax and other economic conditions have forced the plans to become phased into two stages of construction. The amplified hall and the 300-seat venue were part of Phase I. Phase II includes the acoustical hall. Groundbreaking took place in June 2011.

The center, when fully completed at the end of Phase II, will occupy two city blocks. Some of the existing structures demolished to clear room for the center include Orlando Fire Department Station #1 (which moved to Central Blvd.); an annex building of First United Methodist Church of Orlando; and the round American Federal Building, constructed in the 1960s. The center is bordered by Orange Ave to the west, South St. to the north, Rosalind Ave. to the east, and Anderson St. to the south. Magnolia Ave. bisects the property.^[4]

The first Broadway production to play the Walt Disney Theater was Cameron Mackintosh's new production of The Phantom of the Opera.

References

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