Waco arts center design favors openness, flexibility

Architects and arts officials presented renderings of the CAP’s design Tuesday to the Waco City Council, a glimpse into the future of the prime spot that could serve as the link between downtown and the rest of the development occurring along the Brazos River.

The scope of the project has grown since the process to create a performing arts center began, prompting the recent name change from the Performing Arts Center to the Culture, Arts and Performance Center, Creative Waco Director Fiona Bond said. In 2019 the city commissioned a feasibility study from Keen Independent Research to look at the possibility of an arts facility, what characteristics one should have and suggested next steps, she said.

“The overwhelming advice that they gave us was yes, it is feasible, and yes, the time is right for doing something like this,” Bond said.

Bond said the arts and cultural sector is a leading quality of life indicator and key characteristic of economically successful and sustainable communities, yet the Keen study found that Waco was losing the economic impact of facilities that can present arts experiences downtown.

Some 95% of people who participated in the Keen study reported they spend money on performing arts experiences outside of Waco, she said. The project not only provides economic opportunities, but also an opportunity for unity and a source of community pride, she said.

“Seeing what this opportunity means takes us way beyond just providing state-of-the-art performing arts facilities and pivots into a real game-changing, breakthrough opportunity for a center that provides really wonderful facilities for performing arts, of course, but also career pathways in things like film production … and creates a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces that offer really innovative live cultural experiences,” Bond said. “And it also reflects on the role of a CAP in relation to the wider portfolio of downtown infrastructure which would position Waco superbly to present festivals, for example.”

Architecture firm OMA was selected late last year to develop conceptual designs for the facility, and in September the city council authorized a contract with Community Counseling Service Co. to study potential donor support for the center, which the Keen study suggested would cost $70 million to $100 million.

Assistant City Manager Lisa Blackmon said the city had its first meeting with stakeholders last Friday and she hopes to return in March with the philanthropic analysis’ findings.

The city-owned plot at University Parks Drive and Franklin Avenue where the center will reside, a prime location along the Brazos River and at the heart of Waco’s blooming downtown revitalization efforts, presents opportunities in itself.

“That site in itself creates an absolutely standout opportunity for performing arts,” Bond said. “It’s the kind of iconic location that comes around maybe once in a generation, and that has in itself generated so much interest from architecture firms throughout the U.S. and actually beyond as well.”

The main theater space will be adjacent to Franklin Avenue, with the lobby facing Mary Avenue and a black box theater and recording studio wedged on either side. A winter garden will be placed in the middle of the main lobby, surrounded by a circular stairway leading to the auditorium and other amenities.

The lobby also includes a bar and restaurant “that acts as a hinge point between the lobby and downtown Waco,” with lots of windows and green space connecting Waco with the river, OMA partner Jason Long said Tuesday in a presentation to city council.

Mary Avenue, which the city has long-term plans to reconfigure as a festival street, would be extended to connect to a pedestrianized former railroad bridge crossing the river. Long said the building was organized like a plus shape to expose each of the different elements, and each of those spaces were made as transparent as possible to keep the facility flowing with its surroundings.

“We placed the building parallel to the Brazos so that it actually sits at a slight angle to downtown so that as you’re moving up and down University Parks or you’re coming down Mary Avenue or Franklin the building faces you in multiple ways,” he said. “That also allows us to make a very inviting small plaza facing Mary Avenue and slightly off of the hustle and bustle of University Parks.”

The main auditorium will hold 2,000 seats with three balconies and a flexible floor system, while the black box theater facing University Parks Drive will have 200 seats and a facade that can be opened to face the street.

About half of the 2,000 seats will be stacked in balconies to give the space an intimate feel, with the other half on the floor. The floor will be slightly raked but can also be flattened to make the space flexible for symphonies, banquets or concerts.

The digital studio would face the Brazos River and overhang and provide shade for a plaza and green space underneath. Steps would connect the plaza with the riverfront, which the city plans to redevelop in coming years.

The side of the building facing the river could also feature a large screen that could broadcast performances inside the theater or provide opportunities for summer movies or other community events, Long said.