Peace Center Launches 20th Anniversary Campaign
December 1, 2010
GREENVILLE, SC – November 30, 2010 – The Peace Center for the Performing Arts announces it has raised $11 million in early pledges towards its goal of $21.5 million to expand its facilities and improve its grounds.
Over the past twenty years, the Peace Center has literally and figuratively been at the center of Greenville’s growth. The current generation of Peace Center leaders has developed a construction program and launched a campaign to renovate the Center’s facilities to reflect Greenville’s increasingly sophisticated and urban aesthetic. Members of the Peace family have led the way with combined pledge commitments that exceed $5 million.
Our project will improve the Peace Center in many ways, but the primary theme will be to promote greater access to our campus and our facilities, inside and out, said Megan Riegel, President of the Peace Center. The Peace Center is the place for everyone in Greenville, even if they are not attending a show. Our campus was a pacesetter in the revitalization of Greenville 20 years ago and this plan will make it a more exciting destination for 20 to come.
The Peace Center’s redesign and growth will raise its audiences’ experience to an extraordinary level from the moment they step onto the campus. Welcoming visitors, the Grand Plaza on Main and Broad will open the upper campus as a gathering spot, even when the theaters are not in use. A grand staircase and new, outdoor elevator will connect the Plaza to the redesigned lower campus along the Reedy River, including the new TD Pavilion.
Once inside the theater, patrons will enjoy new wraparound glass-walled lobbies connected to the Center’s existing brick frame, tripling the size of public spaces. A new lounge and outdoor terrace will provide unique gathering spots and opportunities for patrons when visiting the Center. In addition, the Huguenot Mill will be renovated to invite greater community use, with classrooms and event spaces.
Garvin Design Group of Columbia developed the plans for the Peace Center in order to improve the overall aesthetic while complimenting the original architecture and landscaping.
‘The Peace Center’s original architects gracefully blended new structures with historic buildings, saving and adapting them to new uses, said Scott Garvin. Our necessary changes respect the aesthetic of the buildings with sophisticated additions and appropriate renovations. The campus, which was once an oasis in the Downtown neighborhood, will be redesigned to become a seamless part of the new Greenville, which evolved after the Peace Center was dedicated.’
The construction will begin in Spring 2011, with the theaters only shut down for a brief period during the summer.
The construction phase of the project will produce an estimated $26 million of new economic activity in the region and employ more than 200 people during the 3-year period.
In terms of lasting impacts, the Peace Center’s annual impact brings more than $22 million to the Upstate region and provides more than 500 jobs. The new center will provide additional business opportunities via rental space at the revamped Huguenot Mill, outdoor performance opportunities in the new TD Pavilion along the river, and the growth of patron services within the theatres, anchored by the new Patrons’ Lounge.
About the Peace Center
The Peace Center’s mission is to present the world’s finest performers, provide arts education and outreach, and support local arts organizations. These efforts further cultural advancement, arts appreciation, and the economic development of South Carolina.
These goals are accomplished by presenting more than 300 performances annually; serving more than 70,000 students, teachers, parents, and other community members each season through the Peace Outreach Program; and subsidizing the facilities and other services to fellow local arts organizations. All total, the Peace Center estimates more than 250,000 patrons walk through its doors each season, whether they are attending a Broadway show, participating in an arts education workshop, or attending a Resident Company performance.
The Peace Center owns and operates three performance venues: the Peace Concert Hall (2,100 seating capacity), Gunter Theatre (400 seating capacity) and TD Pavilion (more than 1,200 seating capacity). These facilities host more than 70 Peace Center presentations each season as well as presentations from the four Resident Companies: Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Carolina Ballet Theatre, South Carolina Children’s Theatre, and International Ballet. Other local performing arts groups also perform at the Peace Center, including the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, Furman University, Greenville Chorale, Foothills Philharmonic, Greenville County Youth Orchestra, North Greenville University, and Carolina Youth Symphony.
