Tempe residents got their first glimpse of the future Tempe Center for the Arts, a sprawling wood, glass and stone structure that will soon perch on the edge of Tempe Town Lake, during a presentation Tuesday night.
Nearly 100 people attended to view and ask questions about the architectural and landscape designs, which are soon to be finalized.
The Center for the Arts' leading attraction will be its main theater with the ability to seat 600 people in an "intimate" setting.
A smaller studio theater, an art gallery, a large lobby area and a multipurpose room are also within the center.
The center will also be carefully designed for acoustics since it will lie in the flight path of planes from nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
"In the arts, there is no more complex building type," lead architect Barton Myers, of Los Angeles based Barton Myers Associates Inc., said. "The building will enhance the communal experience of going to the theater."
Myers added that the center would provide Tempe with community-building opportunities as well.
"We live in such a decentralized, sprawling world, and this is a chance to come together and meet and see people," he said. "We are still searching how to make this an exciting theater-going atmosphere, like it is on Broadway or in London."
Attached to the center will be acres of gardens overlooking Tempe Town Lake, which will include separate areas for children, garden sculptures and a sports lawn.
The center will provide 350 parking spaces upon opening and will have room for an additional 400 more in the future.
Tempe-based Architekton partnered with Barton Myers Associates after winning an architecture competition held by the City of Tempe.
The project, which was approved by voters in May 2000, will cost taxpayers $63 million by way of a dedicated sales tax of a tenth of a percent. The 20-year tax will go to development, construction and operation costs.
Kathy Stevens, chair of the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission, said the Center for the Arts would be an important part of the city for many years.
"Tempe is a progressive and innovative city that understands the importance of the arts," she said. "To support that growth, we need a facility that will support the legacy of the arts."
Construction is slated to begin spring 2004 and finish by fall 2006.
Reach the reporter at kristina.davis@asu.edu.
