Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts facts for kids
Exterior of Venue (c.2024)
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| Address | 445 S Magnolia Ave. |
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| Location | Downtown Orlando |
| Owner | City of Orlando |
| Capacity | 2,700 (Walt Disney Theater) 1,700 (Steinmetz Hall) 340 (DeVos Family Room) 294 (Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater) 150 (Judson’s Live) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 23, 2011 |
| Opened | November 6, 2014 |
| Expanded | January 14, 2022 |
| Construction cost | $613 million |
| Architect |
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| Project manager | AMS Planning & Research Corp |
| Structural engineer |
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| Services engineer | TLC Engineering Solutions. |
| General contractor | Balfour Beatty Construction |
| Main contractors |
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| Tenants | |
| Orlando Ballet (2014–present) | |
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, often called the Dr. Phillips Center, is a super cool place in Downtown Orlando, Orlando, Florida, where you can watch amazing shows! It's a big performing arts center in the United States. It opened its doors on November 6, 2014, and quickly became one of Orlando's main spots for performances, joining the historic Bob Carr Theater.
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Building the Center
The Dr. Phillips Center was designed by a team of talented architects. Barton Myers was the main design architect. HKS Architects also worked on the project. They made sure the theaters sounded great too!
The idea for this center was approved along with other big projects in Orlando. These included a new Kia Center (for sports and concerts) and upgrades to the Camping World Stadium. Local leaders voted on these plans in 2007.
The design for the Dr. Phillips Center was shown to the public in August 2008. It was planned to have several different performance spaces.
Performance Spaces
The Dr. Phillips Center has multiple amazing spaces for different kinds of shows:
- Walt Disney Theater: This is the largest hall, with 2,700 seats. It's perfect for big Broadway musicals and concerts.
- Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater: This smaller venue has 294 seats. It's used for more intimate shows and events.
- Steinmetz Hall: This special hall has 1,700 seats. It's known for its incredible sound, earning an N1 acoustic rating. It can change its shape to fit different performances, like symphony concerts or plays. Construction on this hall began in March 2017 and it officially opened on January 14, 2022.
- Judson’s Live: This is the newest space, opening on January 21, 2024. It's a cozy, cabaret-style room for smaller, up-close music performances.
Frontyard Festival
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Dr. Phillips Center created a cool outdoor event called the Frontyard Festival™. It was a way to keep offering shows safely. The festival launched on December 5, 2020.
It was set up on the Seneff Arts Plaza, which is the front lawn of the center. People could sit in socially distanced "boxes" that held up to six friends or family members. You could even order food and drinks right to your box! The festival was a big success and ran until December 13, 2021. It even won awards for being so innovative during a challenging time.
Funding and Location
The Dr. Phillips Center cost about $613 million to build, including Steinmetz Hall. A lot of the money came from public funds, especially from a tax on tourists visiting Orange County. The rest came from private donations, including a large gift from the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation. This foundation was created from the money left by Philip Phillips, a well-known businessman.
The construction was done in two main parts. Phase I included the Walt Disney Theater and the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. Phase II added Steinmetz Hall and Judson's Live. Building started in June 2011.
The center takes up two city blocks in Orlando. Some older buildings were taken down to make room for it. The Dr. Phillips Center is surrounded by Orange Avenue, South Street, Rosalind Avenue, and Anderson Street.
The very first Broadway show to play at the Walt Disney Theater was The Phantom of the Opera.
Images for kids
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Exterior of Venue (c.2024)
