Facts & History

The Begining, 1970
By the late 1970s, it became clear that the arts in Miami needed a performing arts venue that would allow art organizations like the New World Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Florida Grand Opera, the Concert Association of Florida, and a fledging ballet company directed by Edward Villella to grow. They all longed for a venue worthy of the vision they embraced for the future of the performing arts in Miami. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Vision, 1980s
In the '80s, a long-standing vision was instilled in the business community to create an anchor for South Florida to enlarge and improve its image and solidify its position as the gateway to Latin America. "I found that support for a performing arts center was very wide," said Performing Arts Center Trust Chair Parker D. Thomson, "but about a millimeter deep at first." Robert M. Heuer, then director of the Florida Grand Opera, recalls that "everybody kept asking whether we really needed a new theater. Remember, there was no ballet yet. Still, key people took the matter seriously, significantly Miami-Dade County officials as well as leaders of Miami's existing and emerging cultural organizations." Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
Change is in the Air, 1986
Change was in the air. Miami City Ballet was founded in 1986. The New World Symphony, an unprecedented musical and educational experiment that became America's Orchestral Academy, was founded in 1987. The county commissioned a study of the need and feasibility of a new theater for Miami. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Plan, 1989
The Center's intricate, magnificent plan was worth the time it took to work out in careful detail. One of these was the need for separate halls, one for symphonic music and another for opera, dance, and musical theater-something very much against the 1970s vogue for often soulless, acoustically discouraging multipurpose halls. The two halls (the Carnival Studio Theater came later) were conceptualized to ensure great acoustics and great sightlines. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Plan, 1990
The Miami-Dade County Commission approved the Performing Arts Center Financing Plan. Soon afterwards, the Performing Arts Center Foundation was created by a dedicated group of philanthropists, joining forces with the arts organizations that would become the Center’s resident companies. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Team, 1991
The Miami-Dade County Commission formed the Performing Arts Center Trust, under the leadership of Michael Spring, as a not-for-profit corporation designed to nurture the planning, design, construction and operation of the new center. Sears Roebuck and Co. donated 3.57 acres of land to Miami-Dade County to be used for what would become the Ziff Ballet Opera House. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Design, 1992
The Miami-Dade County Commission brought onboard Jules Fisher and Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates to provide theater and cost consulting services, and shortly after Russell Johnson of ARTEC Consultants Inc. to design the acoustics. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Architecture Team, 1994
A highly anticipated architectural competition initiated in 1994 culminated with the choice of Cesar Pelli & Associates. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Art, 1997
In 1997 Miami-Dade Art in Public Places Trust commissioned five artists to create original works for the Center: Jose Bedia, Cundo Bermudez, Gary Moore, Anna Valentina Murch and Robert Rahway Zakanitch. The timing of the commissions ensured that the architect and the artists could collaborate on uniquely integrated artworks in the new center. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
The Demolition, 2000
The demolition of the old 1929 Sears store began in 2000. The Art Deco Tower, a key element of the old store and the first major Art Deco presence in Miami, was kept not only because, “it connects to a past that is precious to many people,” according to Pelli, “but also because its architectural transfiguration as a found object within Pelli’s creation makes the whole affair at once a celebration and a transformation of the Miami skyline.” Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
Construction, 2001
In 2001, Knight-Ridder, Inc. donated to Miami-Dade County 2.2 acres of land east of Biscayne Boulevard to be used as the site of the Knight Concert Hall. The summer of 2001 witnessed the groundbreaking for construction of the Center. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
Construction, 2002
The Miami Performing Arts Center, as it was initially called, grew into one of the most sophisticated and complex construction project undertaken by a public/private partnership, and Miami-Dade County officials made the building of this magnificent complex one of the County’s chief priorities. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
Construction, 2003
Construction, 2004
Construction, 2005
“As the Center nears completion, there are signs everywhere indicating that it has been and will continue to be the catalyst for unprecedented development in an area that has long been challenged and economically depressed,” says Norman Braman, veteran member of the Center’s Foundation Board of Directors. Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
Miami's Performing Arts Center, 2006
Andres Viglucci and Matthew Haggman reported for The Miami Herald on April 30, 2006, that “the development wave augurs fulfillment of a vision some skeptics once scoffed at – a dynamic, artsy urban district comprising lofts, condos, stores, offices, restaurants and nightclubs, with rising property values and tax revenues, all with Carnival Center for the Performing Arts as its beating civic heart.” Extracted from Prologue to Greatness by Octavio Roca.
Opening Weekend!, October 5-8, 2006
Renamed the Carnival Center following a multi-million dollar gift from Carnival Corporation & plc, Miami’s performing arts center celebrated its grand opening with four days of performances and street festivals featuring world-renowned stars, the three Resident Companies, and a host of local performing arts.
Adrienne Arsht Donation, 2008
National business leader and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht brought Miami’s performing arts center financial security with a $30 million donation. In recognition of the gift, the Center was renamed the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Carnival Corporation graciously agreed to relinquish the naming rights in favor of this new major donation.
The Center Flourishes, The Present
Since its opening, the Center has solidified its reputation as one of the finest cultural venues in the world, renowned for its outstanding acoustics, superb sightlines, and state-of-the-art performance spaces. Its diverse and global programming brings the best of world culture to the South Florida community. Simultaneously, a variety of far-reaching education and community outreach programs make the arts accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Together, these two core values have successfully transformed the Adrienne Arsht Center into Miami’s new town square.

Fact Sheet

Situated at the cultural crossroads of the Americas and in the heart of one of the world’s fastest-growing urban centers, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the largest performing arts centers anywhere. Strategically located in downtown Miami, the Arsht Center occupies 570,000 square feet along historic Biscayne Boulevard between N.E. 13^th and 14^th Streets.

Principal Components:

Ziff Ballet Opera House: 2,400 seats.
John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall: 2,200 seats.
Carnival Studio Theater: A flexible black-box space designed for up to 300 seats.
Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts: An outdoor social and performance space linking the two main houses across Biscayne Boulevard.
Carnival Tower: An architectural icon from one of Miami’s oldest Art Deco buildings.
Peacock Education Center: A 3,500-square-foot workshop and classroom space.
Magnificent public art installations by five outstanding artists commissioned by Miami-Dade Art in Public Places.

Programming and Education:

Adrienne Arsht Center Presents: A diverse group of more than 300 performances are selected and presented by the Arsht each year, organized into series. These series include Broadway in Miami, Jazz Roots, the Masterworks Season, Miami Made Festival, and the Summer Season, among others.
The Arsht’s internationally acclaimed resident companies: Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, New World Symphony and America’s Orchestral Academy present many of their Miami performances at the Arsht Center.
The Arsht also offers many free community-based performances and programs designed to make the performing arts as accessible to as wide an audience as possible. These include a monthly outdoor family event, a free gospel concert series, an annual volunteer service day and more.
Since its inception, the Arsht has supported South Florida artists and the creation of new work through commissions, access to artistic advice from Arsht staff and other arts professionals, and public presentations. The Arsht also collaborates with local arts presenters to support culturally and artistically diverse entertainment.
Education programs, many of which are planned with Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the resident companies and community-based organizations, offer unique opportunities for young people and adults to learn about and enjoy the performing arts both in the Arsht and out in their communities. Examples include AileyCamp, which debuted in 2009, and the Learning Through the Arts program, which provides live music, theater and dance components via the public school system’s Passport to Culture initiative.

Design:

The Arsht Center was designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. The design team includes theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates Inc. and acoustician consultancy ARTEC Inc., both of whom have been working on the project since its inception.

Construction:

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is Miami-Dade County’s largest-ever public/private-sector partnership, comprised of an $150 million private capital campaign conducted by the Performing Arts Center Foundation and public funding drawn primarily from the county’s Convention Development Tax revenues, as well as the City of Miami Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency. The total project expense is $472 million.

Design Phase
Groundbreaking
Construction Phase
Opening of the Center

1996-1999
Fall 2001
2001-2006
2006

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Education & Outreach is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Arsht Center also receives generous support from private and corporate contributions to the Performing Arts Center Foundation of Greater Miami through its Membership Program; City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency; American Express Company; Arison Arts Foundation; Dade Community Foundation; ExxonMobil Inter-America Inc.; The MAP-Fund, a program of Creative Capital Supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation; The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council; National Endowment for the Arts; and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

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