The big news of the month has been the unveiling of the design for the new performing arts center (Dr. Philips Performing Arts Center, or DPAC). The design can be seen here, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-dpac2408aug24,0,4845661.story. The primary design element is a large cantilevered roof that stretches over Magnolia Ave, which will remain open to traffic, cutting through the center of the complex (though it’s believed the street will be closed during events). The $408M complex will include 3 theaters in all, a 2,800 seat Broadway style theater, a 1,700 search opera house and concert hall, and a small 300 seat theater intended for local and community shows. The complex will also contain rehearsal rooms, offices, and educational space. The massive complex will occupy 2 blocks, across from City Hall, bounded by Orange Ave, South St., Rosalind Ave., and Anderson St., with Magnolia Ave cutting through the center. The east block will contain the performing arts theaters, while the west side will contain a large outdoor performance space intended for outdoor shows, flanked by a hotel and office building.
In other news, the old Lynx bus station has finally been demolished to make room for a new Orlando Firehouse (incidentally, the current firehouse it is meant to replace will be displaced by the performing arts center). The 2-story station will be located between Pine St. and Central Ave. (north of 55 West).
In retail news, the SoDo shopping complex is nearing completion. The anchor Super Target is set to open on October 12, with a soft opening before then. The complex is located just “So”uth of “Do”wntown on S. Orange Ave., north of Michigan Ave.
Also the downtown Publix (located in the Paramount building) is now complete, with shelves stocked and signs up, and will be opening at 8:00am on Sat, Sep 6!!
In restaurant news, the Black Olive restaurant is completing build-out in the Plaza complex (it will be located just behind Corona Cigar Co.). The Mediterranean-style Italian restaurant will feature a weekly-rotating seasonal menu, fresh baked bread, hand-made cheeses, and 165 types of olives throughout the year. It is scheduled to open in September.
On an arts note, a new arts program featuring guitars will be deployed to various locations around downtown, similar to the Lizart project a few years back. The giant guitars are being created by local artists and can currently be seen in the works at some of the local studios, such as the City Arts Factory.
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