ABOUT THE ARTS CENTEr
At the June 12, 2018 meeting, the Coppell City Council voted six to one to approve the Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment to the agreement between the City of Coppell and Core Construction, giving the City the green light to begin construction of a new Arts Center located in Old Town Coppell, the City's historic district. At the July 24, 2018 meeting, the City Council unanimously voted to approve additional seats in the Main Stage Theater. The Coppell Arts Center is planned to be 32,250 square-foot, one-story building, that will include a flexible theater, a main stage theater, a multipurpose room that expands the facility’s use beyond just the arts, exhibit, classroom and office space and a courtyard plaza. Construction is estimated to be completed by Spring 2020. The project will be funded through the Coppell Recreation Development Corporation (CRDC), a sales tax revenue fund that was established to undertake projects for youth and adult amateur athletics, entertainment and public gathering facilities, exhibition and museum facilities, parks and recreational facilities and more. Coppell voters re-authorized the CRDC’s use of sales tax revenue in the November 5, 2013 election. | |
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Main Stage Theater
The main performance hall will seat up to 441 patrons and will include 2,200 square feet of stage space.
Flexible Theater
The black box/flex theater will seat 195 patrons (depending on seating arrangement) and total 2,650 square feet.
Multi-Purpose Space
The multi-purpose space will total 2,000 square feet, accommodate 100-165 people and will be used for community and arts organizations to hold rehearsals and meetings.
Additional Spaces
In addition to the three main areas, there will be a gallery and studio space. The gallery will provide pre-function, waiting, gallery, banquets, lectures, and concessions. The space provides natural light and panoramic views to the Old Town Square. Artwork will be displayed in the gallery and multi-purpose areas. The studio provides flexible classroom space intended for visual, textile, and graphic artists, but it can be used in a variety of ways. The studio contains tables, chairs, cabinets and storage.
Construction Update
A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Monday, December 3, 2018, to mark the beginning of construction. The Arts Center is expected to open in Spring 2020.
Additional updates will be posted as they become available.
Background information
The idea of building an arts center venue was initially discussed many years ago, during the development of Old Town Coppell. In 1999, the City of Coppell converted an unused fire station to the Coppell Center for the Arts, also home to Theatre Coppell. The theatre is an intimate, 124-seat theatre with seating on three sides of the stage and approximately 7,500 square feet.
As the City grew, so did its needs for a larger arts venue. In 2015, after a presentation from Theatre Coppell, the idea of an arts center was revisited, and the City contracted with Corgan Architects to perform preliminary program and site planning for either the existing theater’s renovation, renovation and expansion, and/or an option for the construction of a new theater located in Old Town Coppell. This
preliminary programming study was reviewed by the City Council during their October 25, 2016 work session, and it was utilized to create the initial schematic design.
After much research, the Coppell City Council determined that City staff and the architect should begin focusing on the potential construction of a new arts facility located in Old Town. In January 2017, the Coppell City Council approved an architectural services agreement with Corgan for the proposed Coppell Arts Center. The budget for the facility is approximately $17 million, including construction, design, furniture and fixtures, construction management, parking and contingency. Funding for the project will be through the CRDC.
In June 2017, the Coppell City Council authorized Corgan to move forward with Design and Development, and Construction Document Services. Corgan Architects presented an
Operations Study to the City Council on July 25, 2017. This report was the result of Council's review of the schematic plans presented to Council on May 30, 2017.
In January and February 2018, Corgan spoke to Council about the design of the
Arts Center façade.
The project is currently in the Design and Development and Construction Document Services phase.