The Smith Center for the Performing Arts recently celebrated one of the final steps needed to complete its exterior. The final cap on the Carillon Bell Tower, a massive 68,000 pounds of steel, was raised on April 23, taking it to its highest point of 170 feet. During the capping, the bell tower was simultaneously adorned with the American flag.
The capping of the bell tower serves as a critical milestone for the performing arts center, which many expect will quickly become the cultural arts epicenter of Las Vegas upon its opening in March 2012.
“To see each step in the construction process come to life after 17 years in the making is inspiring,” said Myron Martin, president and CEO of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. “For all the people who have been intimately involved on this project over the years, including the more than 2,600 construction workers, these milestones are especially exciting to see take place.”
With the exterior near completion, construction crews are beginning to shift focus to the state-of-the-art interior of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a task that will take almost one year to complete. Unlike a typical building, a performing arts center must focus as much time, if not more, on the interior details of the facility to ensure the highest quality experience for its guests.
Martin adds that with specifically designed acoustics for all performance spaces and close attention to the class and comfort of the patrons, The Smith Center will ensure that its performing arts facility will be one of the nation’s best.
“The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is, by far, one of the most important construction projects in the history of Las Vegas,” said The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Board Chairman, Donald Snyder. “What The Smith Center will provide the community of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada in form of arts, culture and education will be unimaginable.”
The Smith Center recently announced the 2012 Broadway Las Vegas series which will include such Broadway hits as The Color Purple, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, Million Dollar Quartet and 2010 Tony Award Winning Best Musical Memphis.