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Arts Center gives glimpse at its future

The $20-million center will feature a permanent collection of glass art by Dale Chihuly.

By LENNIE BENNETT
Published December 16, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - The Arts Center unveiled architectural renderings of its new, 65,000-square-foot facility at its annual meeting this week. The $20-million center will share part of a downtown block on Central Avenue between Eighth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets with a condominium development and the Chihuly Collection at the Arts Center. The museum-quality permanent collection of installations by glass artist Dale Chihuly will be the first of its kind in the world.

The design by Alfonso Architects of Tampa includes the renovation of the former Landmark Union Trust Bank and a new building with a sheath of glass that wraps around the side and covers the roof. It will house the Hot Shop, a demonstration auditorium with seating for 100, along with studios, classrooms and exhibition galleries.

An open second-story walkway will connect the building to the Chihuly Collection. Arts Center executive director Evelyn Craft said that more than half of the money has been raised, jump-started with a $10-million gift from philanthropist Beth Ann Morean. Craft expects the project to be completed in July 2008.

The Arts Center project is unique not just for the Chihuly component. Developer Jimmy Aviram is pitching its cultural cachet as the primary amenity of his $200-million residential project, which he has named Arts Village, instead of the traditional attractors such as a golf course or waterfront location. He is also donating up to $2-million of initial sales to the center and, along with Morean, purchasing the art for the Chihuly Collection.

[Last modified December 16, 2005, 18:16:03]