MEDIA TOUR: Members of the media and other officials were recently given a tour of the new Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center in downtown on Main Street near Houston Street.
DAVID JONES for GTR Newspapers
The topping out ceremony for the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center/Education Service Center was held Jan. 25. On a cold morning an evergreen tree and an American flag were affixed to the last beam destined to be placed in the impressive building at 601 S. Main St. in Broken Arrow.
The first two phases, covering the property purchased and the initial construction phase, were products of the March 2004 school bond election that allocated $19.1 million. In December 2006 an additional allocation to finish out the interior added $7.3 million to the total.
The $26.4 million structure will fulfill a dream that goes back to the early 1970s when business retreats and fine arts teachers began campaigning for a performing arts center.
The building will have 1,500 fixed seats in a traditional theater setting. Specific areas of the structure will be reserved for art works.
“Up until now,” says Broken Arrow Schools Chief Communications Officer Keith Isbell, “we have used an auditorium in our intermediate high school that seats 1,200. It’s a nice facility, a traditional high school auditorium, but it doesn’t leave enough dates in the year to take care of all the organizations that need to use it.”
The new facility is located to be centrally in Broken Arrow for all students. It will be a cornerstone of the revitalization of downtown Broken Arrow.
“From the beginning it was made clear that the first use of the building would be for our students, but on the dates it is open, we will work with community groups or organizations that want to bring some sort of entertainment to our community. We want to make it available to everyone who might want to use it.”
The structure will ultimately contain 86,200 square feet, which will include many offices of what is now the Education Service Center, currently across Houston (81st Street). It will also include rehearsal halls, space where students can practice musical instruments, the art display areas (the actual studios will remain on the various campuses) and the main lobby area.
“It was the desire of our school board and our fine arts teachers that this be a true performing arts center rather than just an auditorium. Special attention has been given, for example, to acoustics.”
The architect is Beck Design with offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and it was constructed by Flintco.
The Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce and Broken Arrow tourism officials are anxiously awaiting the completion of the building, expected to be in the final weeks of 2008, so they can help in filling it with attractions.
Isbell says that incoming events will have to undergo a screening process to determine their suitability for the building.
“A school district has a close working relationship with the Chamber, arts organizations and the tourist bureau. We will all work together to produce the widest and best entertainment opportunities for our community as long as they don’t interfere with our student performances.”
The new facility will certainly expand the opportunities for outside performances, says Isbell. Recently a tribute show to the Beatles, which is touring the country, was played at the North Intermediate High School auditorium, which dates back to the 1950s when it was the high school auditorium.
Other groups wanting to perform locally have had to go to churches or other venues to find performing spaces.
Isbell says the word that the PAC is being built is filtering out. They have had questions as to when the building will be ready for business, but no one has asked to sign on a dotted line.
“That will come in time,” says Isbell. “The fact that the PAC is entering the final phase of construction is getting pretty widely known.”
Concerning a date for the grand opening, Isbell says, “Some folks in the community have some preliminary plans and we obviously want to get closer to it when we have a definite time in mind and that will give the planning folks time to find a performing group whose availability would match ours.
“I will be shocked if the initial performers in the facility are not students. We will have a grand opening or some sort of preliminary test use first.
“The topping out ceremony is a sign we are closing out a process our school board and community have been waiting on for a long time. We’re looking forward to giving fine arts in Broken Arrow a new home. To the voters of Broken Arrow who made this project a reality we can only say, ‘thanks’.”
