The Smith Center for the Performing Arts debuted earlier this year downtown and is a 4.75-acre performing arts complex that houses three theaters and is the new home to both the Nevada Ballet Theater and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
The Smith Center is the centerpiece of Symphony Park, a 61-acre parcel purchased back in 1995 by the City of Las Vegas that comprises one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the country and is also home to the Frank Gehry-designed Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Plans pushed by former Mayor Oscar Goodman for a baseball park have since been shelved, and the Charlie Palmer boutique hotel and casino project slated for Symphony Park keeps being postponed.
Built with sustainability in mind, the Smith Center is the only Silver LEED-certified performing arts center of its scope ever built and the principles of efficiency, conservation, and recycling were adhered to throughout. For those who missed yesterday's QoD, which spawned this one, the building also boasts a 17-story 47-bell carillon tower. The nearest major landmark is the massive windowless World Market Center building, which opened in 2005 on the adjacent lot and basically blocks the view of the Smith Center from the freeway (leading some LVA staffers to actually doubt the existence of the new complex, until we finally located it on Google Maps.) We don't know why it's called the Smith Center, either...
Costing almost a half-billion dollars, the campus is a public-private partnership that's been a decade in the works, including scouting trips to cultural cities, both in the U.S. and Europe, where the design team gained inspiration from some of the world’s finest opera houses, concert halls, and performance venues, including Palais Garnier in Paris, the Musikverein in Vienna, and La Scala in Milan. The building is in the Art Deco style, an homage to the architecture of the Hoover Dam, and since it opened in March has featured an eclectic lineup of performances and events, including Broadway shows, music from classical to jazz to contemporary, dance productions, and family-friendly events. Some of the big names to have passed through already include the Cleveland Orchestra, the Million Dollar Quartet, k.d. lang, and Diana Krall, with upcoming performances featuring Steve Martin, Poncho Sanchez, Dr John, and Esteban, among many others. Find out more and book tickets at thesmithcenter.com.
