Dr. P Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center [Phase 2 Under Construction]

[tc01]

Have anyone seen the new DPAC new model on the news? The new renderings of it looks really nice, the new model makes it look a lot better than it did before. The DPAC will look awesome when it is done. I hope to see you all at the groundbreaking ceremony today at 5:30.

[tc01]

Some pics I took at groundbreaking

[John Hargrove]

I wish I would have walked over there. :\ I'll make up for it by photo documenting this entire project, though.

Resized those pictures for you (my browser did not like them):

[prahaboheme]

I was surprised to read that this is going to be a brick building -- anyone else know that? The models and renderings have not shown this to my knowledge.

"Once completed, it will be a brick building with exposed steel and glass, that will be wired like a sound stage/production facility, said Kathy Ramsberger, president of the center."

Arts center: A quality facility requires complex construction

[bic]

I still think the front facade of the PAC resembles an arrivals terminal at an airport but nevertheless it should look impressive when lit up at night. The banquet room suspended over Magnolia will be a fantastic space, as well as the plaza it will overlook. I'm so happy to finally see the utilization of arcades in Orlando. Not only are they practical in our harsh summer climate, they will help bring a classical Italian piazza-esque quality to this plaza, making it reminiscent of something you might find in Torino.

[Jernigan]

I'm not sure if anyone had confirmed this - but the circular building is definitely going to be demolished.

[bulldogger]

I thought the office and hotel buildings weren't going into the plans. If that is so, why do they have those 2 buildings running along the courtyard?

[prahaboheme]

Not sure what you mean by not going into the plans, but as far as I understand, the master plan for DPAC has always included the hotel and office component. The office component at one point was an addition for CNL company, and as of yet, there is no public announcement on a hotel tenant for the property. I believe these will be private investments.

[bulldogger]

Not sure what you mean by not going into the plans, but as far as I understand, the master plan for DPAC has always included the hotel and office component. The office component at one point was an addition for CNL company, and as of yet, there is no public announcement on a hotel tenant for the property. I believe these will be private investments.

I thought I read somewhere that those components were being added later in Phase II. If it's solid that they are being built, then that's great. Not sure why I thought this.

[prahaboheme]

I don't think it is necessarily solid that they'll be built as a part of Phase I or II of DPAC, but are part of the masterplan for the site. Hopefully a developer will come along sooner rather than later to bring cohesiveness to the property. As has been stated already, the plaza might look a bit sparce without its bookends.

[John Hargrove]

I remember reading (can't recall where), that Phase I will have green lawns and landscaping where the yet-to-be decided commercial buildings will be.

[John Hargrove]

Here we go ...

http://www.drphillipscenter.org/progress/site_plan

All 3 commercial spaces are marked as "Future Commercial Development".

That sounds an awful lot like "lots o' grass".

[nite owℓ]

"The proposed PD will allow for the redevelopment of Parcels 1 and 2 for DPAC facilities in one phase with two stages." The parcels surrounding the Outdoor Performance Plaza are just listed as future development (aka Phase 2). The DPAC MPB agenda specifically mentions the area will be landscaped until funds are available to continue construction. See pages 4-5 in the DPAC MPB.

Phase 1- Stage 1 :

Fire Station 1 will be demolished prior to Phase 1-Stage 1.

Realignment of Magnolia Avenue between Anderson Street and South Street.

The Round building and parking lot will be demolished prior to the opening of the DPAC building in Stage 1.

Parcel 1: The first stage consists of construction of 260,000 sq. ft. which includes the Amplified Theater, the Community Theater, banquethall, donor room, front of house, and back of house, with a proposed completion date of 2014.

Parcel 2: Will be planted with sod and landscaping, and lined with palm trees and a 15 ft. temporary concrete sidewalk on the north and south. This will provide a pedestrian connection from Magnolia Avenue (front door of DPAC) to Orange Avenue (front door of City Hall), and define the connection of the proposed plaza to DPAC and to City Hall.

Parcel 3 & 4: Will be planted with sod and landscaping. The applicant is also proposing an optional space frame to create an arcade over the sidewalks.

Parcel 5: The existing parking lot for the FIS building will remain on the northern portion of the parcel. A transformer yard and wall will be constructed on the south side to serve DPAC, and a concrete driveway will be constructed with a curb cut onto Rosalind to provide access to the service and delivery and back of house area for DPAC.

Phase 1- Stage 2 :

It is expected that the portion of South Street between Rosalind Avenue and S. Magnolia Avenue will be realigned prior to or in conjunction with Stage 2 development.

The FIS building and parking lot will be removed prior to or in conjunction with Stage 2 development.

Parcel 1: The completion of the northern portion of the DPAC building (140,000 sq. ft.) which consists of the Acoustic Theater with its front of house and back of house support space.

Parcel 2: Full buildout of the Grand Plaza’s hardscape, water features, pavilion etc.

Parcels 3, and 4: Each parcel will stand alone as a future commercial development. The timing may be prior to, concurrent with or subsequent to the construction of DPAC. Will remain as grassed/landscaped lawns until such time that they are redeveloped.

Parcel 5: As part of Stage 2, the northern portion of parcel 5 is proposed to be redeveloped as a surface parking lot to serve as staff parking for DPAC until such time that it is redeveloped. It is expected that Parcel 5 will most likely be the last parcel developed given the development constraints. However, it will be a stand alone future commercial development as well, and the timing may be prior to, concurrent with or subsequent to the construction of DPAC.

Phase 2 :

The arcade will be included with future building in parcels 3 & 4. The development of parcels 3, 4, and 5 may be prior to, concurrent with or subsequent to the construction of Phase 1 and will require a future MPB review.

Edited June 27, 2011 by LDG

[klstorey]

I expect Stage 2 of the PAC to begin before this one is even done. I hope thats true since the Stage 1 building looks unfinished.

I also hope that whatever hotel goes here will use the Orange/South St corner. It would be a great place for a rounded section of the building that could include a number of things like a bar or suites with balconies. Does the office section allow for retail along the Anderson St? I feel that Anderson and South are both being overlooked with this design. This section of town is still so plan and boring. Not very pedestrian friendly. There will be a need for both cheap fast food style food and upscale food/bars in this area once the PAC opens. The fast food for school groups and the daily workers and the upscale for the evening guests.

The PAC seems to have such an ugly flat roof on it. I hope that they at least paint some art work on it before other buildings are built nearby that will overlook this ugly roof.

Parcel 5 has me the most concerned. What is zoned to go here? Another hotel with retail and some restaurants would be great. They could even have a private entrance into the back of the PAC so that performers could stay right here and never have to leave.

[prahaboheme]

Parcels 3 and 4 should be broken up so that there are entrances to the plaza at mid-block, not just at the Orange and Magnolia ends. If the arcades extend N/S through each build at mid-block, the same effect could be acheived. I suspect for the hotel parcel, they will need to utilize South Street for their entrance (the main hotel entrance will not be along Orange or the entire pedestrian plaza) and there will likely be restaurant/retail along South as well.

[bic]

There will be a need for both cheap fast food style food and upscale food/bars in this area once the PAC opens. The fast food for school groups and the daily workers and the upscale for the evening guests.

I agree with the notion that downtown could use some more fast food establishments but I wouldn't want to see them on this block. I'd prefer a nice steakhouse (a la Morton's, Capital Grille, etc.) for the business lunch crowd and DPAC/Amway Centre dinner crowd. Another business I could see doing well here is a Serendipity/Finale desserterie type place for couples out on the town.

This small corner of downtown has the potential to be a classy district, with the DPAC, Grand Bohemian, City Hall, nice plazas and public art, neighbored by white collar jobs in tall buildings. It's inevitable that this plaza, with its arcades, will be a popular destination for our city's vagrants so let's not encourage their habitation by installing super cheap eats right outside the DPAC. That can go anywhere else in downtown. Patrons of the DPAC will want decent sit-down restaurants where they can dine before shows and perhaps a wine bar where they can linger afterwards. Establishments like boutique bookstores, art galleries, cafes, etc. would also go a long way in instilling a 'cultural' feel requisite of an arts district. Furthermore, if this area can be different from the rest of downtown and keep the cheap/loud bars away, perhaps people will become interested in living in this classier, more professional part of downtown and we'll see more residential development here.

[spenser1058]

I agree with the notion that downtown could use some more fast food establishments but I wouldn't want to see them on this block. I'd prefer a nice steakhouse (a la Morton's, Capital Grille, etc.) for the business lunch crowd and DPAC/Amway Centre dinner crowd. Another business I could see doing well here is a Serendipity/Finale desserterie type place for couples out on the town.

This small corner of downtown has the potential to be a classy district, with the DPAC, Grand Bohemian, City Hall, nice plazas and public art, neighbored by white collar jobs in tall buildings. It's inevitable that this plaza, with its arcades, will be a popular destination for our city's vagrants so let's not encourage their habitation by installing super cheap eats right outside the DPAC. That can go anywhere else in downtown. Patrons of the DPAC will want decent sit-down restaurants where they can dine before shows and perhaps a wine bar where they can linger afterwards. Establishments like boutique bookstores, art galleries, cafes, etc. would also go a long way in instilling a 'cultural' feel requisite of an arts district. Furthermore, if this area can be different from the rest of downtown and keep the cheap/loud bars away, perhaps people will become interested in living in this classier, more professional part of downtown and we'll see more residential development here.

Bravo!

[alex]

It's exciting to see everything coming together. I think the arcade is a great idea - nice photos, bic - and I wonder why we haven't seen them before since they're perfect for FL weather. I like the idea of the initial, free-standing arcade on each side of the outdoor performance space. If they could somehow tier the grassy areas to mimic an amphitheater, it would provide plenty of good seating and create a nice Greco-Roman feel.

The only thing I'm concerned about is how the arcades will mesh with the ultra-modern center. Right now we've only seen blocks representing the future plaza buildings, but what will they really look like? I've kind of visualized it as a classical-inspired building, very similar to the City Hall plaza and the Grand Bohemian.

Do you think it's possible that in one block we can have a successful transition from neo-Classical/neo-art deco to ultra-modern? In a way, DPAC's and the plaza's focus on balance and proportion make the plan very classical, but other than that... The roof just looks like that ugly Cambria Suites roof on steroids.

[prahaboheme]

I can see the City Hall/DPAC district evolving akin to the classically inspired plaza that surrounds Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (Pariser Platz). Most of Pariser Platz has been (re)built since the fall of the Berlin Wall (20 years) and shares similar classical qualities to the DPAC site plan and what has already been built at City Hall:

[prahaboheme]

Cirque Pledges Money to Dr. Phillips Center

[prahaboheme]

A DPAC and Plaza fly-through video is here: Groundbreaking Held For New Arts Center

These are the best looking images of the new center I have seen. And the plaza looks fantastic. Notice that they have only included Phase I in this video.

[bulldogger]

A DPAC and Plaza fly-through video is here: Groundbreaking Held For New Arts Center

These are the best looking images of the new center I have seen. And the plaza looks fantastic. Notice that they have only included Phase I in this video.

That's video makes more sense as to what the plaza will be. I hope it doesn't end there as I am sure everyone on this board feels the same way. The idea of an arcade on each side would complement the plaza tremendously and with Florida's heat, it will make the plaza area cooler as well.

[tc01]

Hey there is a fly through viedo on youtube for Dpac. Type in Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Architectural Fly Through and you will see it. Must see viedo.

[prahaboheme]

Hey there is a fly through viedo on youtube for Dpac. Type in Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Architectural Fly Through and you will see it. Must see viedo.

Thanks! Between DPAC and SunRail, I'm downright giddy!

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXJdAVMEoAg

[smileguy]

This was in an email to the board... Good news?

With construction underway on two of our three theaters and our school for the arts, we now are focused on raising $31 million so we can build the foundation and shell of the third theater – for orchestra, ballet, and opera. If we include these in this phase of construction, we will save many millions over deferring this portion of the project. The third theatre then will be finished when the Tourist Development Tax rebounds; with Orlando the most visited place in the U.S. this past year, we’re on track. Our entire remaining fundraising goal is $66 million, which will complete the project and create an operating endowment.