Page Content: The Coppell Arts Center is an exciting project for the City of Coppell, for both residents and local artists. Coppell is a special place to live, work and play, and the Coppell Arts Center will help us fulfill our vision of being a “Family Community for a Lifetime” by increasing access and public awareness to the arts.
ABOUT THE ARTS CENTEr
The new Coppell Arts Center will be in Old Town, the City’s historic district. The Coppell Arts Center is planned to be 28,800 square-foot, one-story building, that will include three main spaces: a Black Box/Flexible Theater, a Performance Hall/Space, and a multi-purpose space for rehearsals and community use. The center will be able to accommodate more than one art group at a time, and it will include a gallery to display artwork. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2018, and the project will be funded through the Coppell Recreation Development Corporation (CRDC).
Performance Hall
The main performance hall will seat up to 320 patrons and will include 2,200 square feet of stage space.
Black Box/Flex Theater
The black box/flex theater will seat between 140 – 160 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.
Learn More About What the Arts Center Means to the Community
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Construction Update
Updates will be posted as they become available.
Background information
The idea of building a performing 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 expected budget for the facility is approximately $14 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 2017, 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.
