2 decades and $500M later, the Perelman Performing Arts Center near One World Trade is opening

After nearly two decades and a building cost of $500 million, the Perelman Performing Arts Center on the former site of the original World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan is finally ready to open its doors to the public.

Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul joined investors, organizers and family members of victims of the 9/11 attacks in the lobby of the Tribeca building on Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The cube-shaped venue, which has a marble facade, officially opens to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

The facility will host music, theater, opera and dance performances during its premiere season, which will open with a five-night run of concerts called "Refuge: A Concert Series to Welcome the World.” Other events on the lineup include a reimagined version of “Cats,” a play written by Laurence Fishburne and an international jazz competition.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Wednesday that the center's opening was the last major piece in the rebuilding of the area.

“The arts, as we all know, is the heart of what makes New York a beacon of life for people around the world,” Bloomberg said. “Lower Manhattan has always been a crossroads of the world and a cauldron of creativity.”

Although the center is named after banker Ronald O. Perelman, who donated $75 million to the building’s stagnant construction plans in 2016, officials said it will be known as PAC NYC.

While the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a place for people to learn about the attacks and mourn the nearly 3,000 people who were killed, officials emphasized that PAC NYC's goal is to be a place where life is celebrated through creativity.

“From the beginning, Mike and I agreed that arts are more than just entertainment. They are probably the only common language that the world speaks,” Perelman told the crowd. “And through the arts hopefully we can open up dialogue with peoples around the world. And eliminate the hatred and the violence and the destruction that has faced us throughout time.”

For years, the center has gone through various leadership changes. South African-born British playwright David Lan was its acting artistic director in 2014. Then, theater director Bill Rauch was officially named artistic director in 2018. And last October, Khady Kamara, who comes from the theater world, was named executive director.

“How could I not take this role? This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Kamara told Gothamist. “We're thrilled to be able to open our doors and to really live through our mission, which is connecting artists and audiences.”

The center cost $500 million to bring to fruition, with $130 million of that money coming from Bloomberg, organizers said. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave $100 million to the project.

“The arts have helped to fuel our city's historic comeback,” Bloomberg said, “and if we keep investing in the arts I know that the brightest days for the city is ahead of us.”

At Wednesday’s ceremony, officials showed guests around the three main spaces: the John E. Zuccotti Theater, which holds 450 people; the 250-seat Mike Nichols Theater; and the 99-seat Doris Duke Foundation Theater. The building’s design allows all three venues to be combined for a total capacity of 950 seats.

“The eclectic nature of the programming is such that we hope that people can come in and say I don't know that I want to see this thing, but this is exactly what I'm here for,” said Kamara.