More than one year out from its official opening, anticipation
is growing as the Lone Tree Arts Center takes shape.
The 500-seat performing arts facility has been under
construction southeast of Lincoln Avenue and RidgeGate Parkway
since March and remains on pace for a grand opening in late August
2011. Ground work has been laid, and the taxpayer-funded arts
center is about 30 percent complete, said Seth Hoffman, assistant
city manager for Lone Tree.
The $21 million complex will be home to the Lone Tree Symphony
Orchestra, the Colorado Stage Company and Passport to Culture
events. Several theater and dance groups already are approaching
officials about scheduling events there in fall and winter 2011,
said Lisa Rigsby Peterson, executive director of the Lone Tree Arts
Center.
Recently, the city released a press announcement entitled “Lone
Tree Arts Center Adds Fire to the Local Economy and Ignites Passion
for the Arts” that touted the expected economic impact of the
center on surrounding businesses.
The Lincoln Commons retail area around the arts center is
quickly growing: Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, Five Guys Burgers
and Fries and Qdoba Mexican Grill already have opened, and other
shops are slated for an opening in the coming months. Apartments
and townhomes are under construction south of the venue.
The Lone Tree Cultural Arts Foundation has teamed with the
center for a capital campaign that will raise up to $2 million for
more intricate amenities. Instead of a modest outdoor stage,
ground-level seating, and a grass-seating area, organizers hope to
give the terrace theater a “more formal finish,” Rigsby Peterson
said.
“For the improved plan, there would be formalized seating on the
lawn, and the theater would be sunken in to provide a more intimate
feeling,” she said. There also would be a wall behind the stage and
lush landscaping surrounding the outdoor stage.
The capital campaign group is hoping to purchase an orchestra
shell that will surround the musicians and maximize the sound for
the audience, and use money to expand a special garden entryway on
the south side of the property.
The indoor theater will feature multidisciplinary events; Rigsby
Peterson is open to everything from concerts to dance performances
to theater shows and everything in between. The venue will be
available for rental to outside groups for private special events
and community celebrations.
The director said “a lot of pent-up demand” will keep the Lone
Tree Arts Center busy for a long duration, and the excitement in
the community has prompted questions from the public about where to
find tickets for the first performances.
“There is a lot of interest out there,” Rigsby Peterson said.
“There are families in this area that are looking forward to having
something to call their own.”
The centralized location of the center and proximity to two
major highways “compels us to be regional,” although Lone Tree
residents will feel “it’s like a jewel box in your backyard,” she
said.
Once crews are finished with the majority of exterior work,
construction this winter will focus on the inside of the complex.
Last week, workers began framing the multipurpose room with a
flexible theater, meeting room and banquet space. Public tours of
the construction site are planned for later this year, but specific
dates have not been finalized.
City officials are collaborating with the Town of Parker, which
is building a similar arts center in its downtown district.
For more information about the progress on the Lone Tree Arts
Center, visit www.lonetreearts.org or www.cityoflonetree.com.
