Perelman Performing Arts Center opens at World Trade Center after two decades of setbacks, changed plans

The World Trade Center's newest addition opened Wednesday and it isn't another office tower, nor monument, at least not explicitly, to the memory of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. It's a theater complex that organizers and officials hope will serve as a symbol of "resiliency" and a "magical" space to celebrate life.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $560 million Perelman Performing Arts Center, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said: "We need places like this to give us that sense of hope again. This is the embodiment of the New York spirit that'll endure forever."

The arts center was envisioned two decades ago but has been through no shortage of its own drama. There were financial roadblocks, political buffeting and a yearslong wait for construction to begin while its designated spot accommodated a temporary transit hub. Leaders, architects, design and occupants changed.

The site is now ringed by new skyscrapers and the neighborhood has more residents than before the attacks. Annually, millions of visitors come to the memorial and museum, but organizers believe the arts space will play an important role.

"The memorial is here for people to come and grieve and pay their respects. The museum is for people to learn, be aware and never forget," says Khady Kamara, PAC NYC's executive director. "And the Performing Arts Center is here for people to celebrate life and really celebrate the resilience of New Yorkers and of the country."

The cube-like building, which stands 138 feet tall, features Portuguese marble. It has movable walls, seats, floor sections and balconies that allow the space to be transformed from a 1,000-seat venue into three smaller spaces, which can be arranged into a total of 62 different stage-and-audience configurations, some as intimate as 100-seat rooms. 

Nearby but out of sight is the Sept. 11 memorial. The windowless design keeps the buzz of theatergoers at a respectful distance from people paying tribute at the memorial, architect Joshua Ramus explained.

The center was built largely with private donations, including $130 million from former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and $75 million from investor Ronald Perelman, plus $100 million from a government-financed redevelopment agency.

"There's never been anything like it in the area, and it's going to continue fueling the city's comeback from the pandemic — just as the arts helped fuel our comeback after 9/11," Bloomberg said in a statement.

The curtain will rise Sept. 19 with the first of five concerts focused on a theme of refuge. There will also be invitation-only events, including an open house for Sept. 11 victims' families and first responders.

Artistic director Bill Rauch said: "A day doesn't go by where I don't think about 9/11 and the responsibility that we have to that community." 

With AP