In May of 2002, RiverCenter for the
Performing Arts, located in the heart of historic uptown Columbus, opened as the area’s first major performing arts center. Located on Broadway and Tenth Street, the 245,000 sq. ft. complex houses the 2,000-seat Bill Heard Teatre,
the
430-seat Legacy Hall and 184-seat Studio Teatre. Designed by the multi-national
architectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer, the center serves as the centerpiece for the city’s new arts and entertainment district. As a key component on the revitalization
of uptown, the construction of RiverCenter had two purposes: to bring the community out for evening performances and to serve as home to the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. Today, a
visitor to uptown Columbus couldn’t miss the five-story complex, which spans an entire city block. “If you really want a newcomer to look
around and say ‘my goodness, Columbus is an interesting place,’ take them inside the RiverCenter,” says Gardiner Garrard, chairman for the board of The Jordan Company and current board member of RiverCenter. With the 1995 launch of the Columbus
Challenge, a public-private partnership spearheaded by the Bradley-Turner Foun- dation, more than $100 million was raised to construct RiverCenter and support other arts-related organizations. Garrard, who was also chairman of the
Columbus Challenge, said that through raising money from the state and private donations, the dream of a performing arts center in Columbus became pos- sible. “Before the RiverCenter there was the Tree Arts Center,” Garrard says. “It was really the only place for any kind of visiting performing arts.” After seeing cities such as Greenville,
S.C. prosper from a performing arts cen- ter, Garrard says community leaders knew Columbus needed something that would benefit the arts. “It’s one of those things that when you talk to someone about the RiverCenter, they’re enthusiastic about it,” Garrard says. Since the construction of RiverCenter,
uptown has become a more active area, specifically at night. Tere has also been an influx of CSU students with the addition of the Schwob School. “Downtown is becom- ing what the Urban Land Institute calls a
32 Columbus and the Valley August 2012
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