Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center to Break Ground this Fall

Board Approves Moving Forward with more than 70 percent of funds raised

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

April 13, 2006

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Thursday, April 13, 2006) The Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center (MKCPAC) today approved a Fall, 2006 groundbreaking for the $326 million Moshe Safdie-designed home for the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Symphony and the Lyric Opera.

Julia Irene Kauffman, president and CEO of the MKCPAC and chairman of the Board of Directors, expressed her delight. “This is the culmination of ten years of very hard work on the part of a lot of people who believe in this dream,” she said. “Our board is expressing confidence that the total fundraising goal will be met and I am especially delighted that we are moving forward on this significant project for the Kansas City region.” A firm date for groundbreaking will be chosen in the coming months.

The site, located at 16th and Broadway, will be home to an 1,800-seat hall for opera and ballet performances and a 1,600-seat concert hall for symphony performances. Both halls will also host visiting regional, national and international entertainment. Additionally, “Celebration Hall,” a multi-use venue, will provide space for public and private events, performances, educational programs, and other gatherings. The vast, transparent lobby area will allow people attending various events to commingle in a shared community experience of thrilling entertainment and world-class architecture.

Mayor Kay Barnes said that this groundbreaking should serve as one of the signature moments in Kansas City’s downtown development. “The Performing Arts Center is about to become a reality. This beautiful signature building and its deep meaning to our cultural and educational scene is the jewel in the crown of our downtown renaissance.”

Fund raising efforts thus far have raised more than 70 percent of the estimated $326 million cost of the structure, including a $40 million operating endowment. “Fund raising efforts continue on a positive path,” said Jan Kreamer, who is heading up the effort. “This groundbreaking means we can better lock in construction costs and maintain better control over the entire project.” She added that many potential contributors have expressed interest but have been waiting for a groundbreaking date. “Now that the groundbreaking will take place, we believe more individuals, foundations and companies will step up to the plate and close the last of the funding gap,” she said.

Kauffman added: “Having great performances enhanced by what I believe to be the finest facility in the country will literally transform how we all view the performing arts from now on.”