Take a visual hard hat hour
Date: August 11, 2008
Author: Kauffman Center
Visitors to the Kauffman Center construction site are seeing dramatic changes as both halls take shape and recognizable features begin to emerge from tons of concrete and rebar. This aerial view (oriented to the south) shows footprints of the proscenium theatre(on the right) and the concert hall (on the left). The foundation for a glass entryway is in between the two halls.
Take your own guided tour with these photos taken during June and July.
Two resident companies, the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera, will perform in the 1,800 seat proscenium theatre. The audience sits facing the stage, shown to the left in this rendering. Seats in the theatre range from 20 to 22 inches in width.
The balconies on the east side of the proscenium theatre (stage is to the left) begin to go up. Box seats on the sides of the theatre are adjacent to suites.
The control booth for the proscenium theatre is being constructed at the back of audience seating. Audience seating will be placed on the tiered piers seen in this photo.
A third resident company, the Kansas City Symphony, will perform in the 1,600 seat concert hall. The audience is arranged around the orchestra (which sits on in the white semi-circular risers seen in this rendering). Audience seats in the concert hall range from 20 to 22 inches in width.
Looking south, toward the back of the concert hall, it is easy to see the seating arrangement taking shape. The back wall is being constructed and seating will extend above the tiered piers in place in this photo.
Platforms that will support seating on the west side of the concert hall take shape. This photo looks south toward Crown Center.
The gigantic wall which separates the building from a 1,000-space parking garage to the south is 4 feet thick and 50 feet tall. The wall plays an important role in anchoring the 27 cables that hold up the concrete shells of the performance halls and hold down the glass in the lobby.
Looking north, the proscenium theatre's stage tower can be seen on the left. On the right, lower walls of the concert hall are emerging. Once completed, the proscenium theatre will be just 30 feet shorter than the north tower crane at 16th and Central streets (seen in the center of this photo).
