Perelman Center

World Trade Center’s new cube-shaped arts center reveals inaugural season ahead of opening

Images courtesy of Iwan Baan unless otherwise noted

June 15, 2023

World Trade Center’s new cube-shaped arts center reveals inaugural season ahead of opening

A new arts center at the World Trade Center was included in the 2003 master plan for Lower Manhattan after September 11. Two decades later, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC) is opening this fall. On Wednesday, the center announced the lineup for its augural season, including wide-ranging programs across theater, dance, music, film, and more. Located at 251 Fulton Street, PAC is a unique, cube-shaped building with a glowing marble facade and flexible performance spaces within. The center kicks off its season on September 19 with a five-night pay-what-you-wish event, "Refuge: A Concert Series to Welcome the World," which will include performances from musicians from around the world.
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New looks for the performing arts space coming to the World Trade Center

The Perelman at night, facing south © Luxigon

July 20, 2021

New looks for the performing arts space coming to the World Trade Center

By Devin Gannon

About a month after the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC) topped out at the World Trade Center complex, new renderings of the unique project were released this week. As first spotted by Yimby, images showcase the flexible cube-shaped building and its glowing marble facade, the grand staircase, theaters, bar and restaurant, and terrace space. First envisioned nearly two decades prior, PAC is expected to open in 2023.
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Construction is underway at the World Trade Center performing arts center

Rendering by REX

April 30, 2018

Construction is underway at the World Trade Center performing arts center

By Devin Gannon

Construction of the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center is officially moving forward, with the first pieces of the center's structural steel now visible above street level, according to CityRealty. The idea for an arts center at the World Trade Center was included in the original vision for rebuilding the area after Sept. 11, a plan proposed nearly 15 years ago. Designed by REX, the flexible "Mystery Box" will be wrapped in translucent marble, the same material used on the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and laminated with insulated glass. Named for Ronald O. Perelman who gifted $75 million to the project, the center will include 200,000 square feet of space, three halls and a rehearsal space, a restaurant and a gift shop.
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Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

Rendering via REX Architecture

February 16, 2018

Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

By Devin Gannon

The project to bring a performing arts center to the World Trade Center is finally back on track, almost 15 years after the idea was included in the original vision for rebuilding the area post-9/11. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday an agreement for a 99-year lease between the Port Authority and the World Trade Center Performing Arts Center Inc. (PAC) for $1 per year, paving the way for construction to begin. Named for the billionaire who gifted $75 million to the project, the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center will include 200,000 square feet of space, three halls and a rehearsal space, a restaurant and a gift shop. If everything moves smoothly, the center could open as soon as the 2020 or 2021 season.
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September 8, 2016

REVEALED: World Trade Center Performing Arts Center will be a translucent marble cube

By Dana Schulz

After stalling for years, the $243 million World Trade Center Performing Arts Center started to make headway in recent months, first with a decision to go with REX as the designers and then with a $75 million gift from Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Ronald O. Perelman (who is gaining naming rights). And finally, the official renderings have been revealed, and they showcase a nearly 90,000-square-foot, translucent veined marble cube that both stands out as an impressive piece of cultural architecture and co-exists with the other structures on the WTC complex such as the 9/11 Museum and transportation hub. According to a press release from developer Silverstein Properties, "The Perelman Center is inspired by the Center’s mission to defy experiential expectations. Its design cues were taken from [an] aim to foster artistic risk, incubate original productions, provide unparalleled flexibility, and deliver the most technologically advanced and digitally connected spaces for creative performance."
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Perelman Center

World Trade Center’s new cube-shaped arts center reveals inaugural season ahead of opening

New looks for the performing arts space coming to the World Trade Center

Construction is underway at the World Trade Center performing arts center

Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

REVEALED: World Trade Center Performing Arts Center will be a translucent marble cube

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