In Monday’s (8/15) Orlando Sentinel, Mark Schlueb writes, “A flurry of construction has replaced long delays at the downtown site of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Since a groundbreaking June 23, workers have been scurrying to keep to an aggressive 37-month construction schedule that would have the first phase of the complex building opening in summer 2014. At the same time, arts boosters are facing their own deadlines when it comes to fundraising. Trey Nobles of PCL Construction Services, the company leading development of the center, said construction is going smoothly: ‘We’re right where we’re supposed to be. Everything is right on schedule.’ … The first phase includes a 2,700-seat amplified auditorium for touring Broadway shows and a 300-seat theater for local groups. … It will be a while before arts boosters begin to see anything resembling a building begin to rise from the ground. Once the construction of pilings is complete, workers will begin sinking corrugated steel foundation walls into the ground. Then, the digging starts. A massive hole—two stories deep in spots—will house an orchestra pit, basement, backstage areas and storage. Only then will the building itself begin to take shape.” Tenants of the Center will include the Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando Ballet, and others.
Posted August 17, 2011
