3 partner finalists selected for Arts Center expansion

The Arkansas Arts Center and its lead architect for a $46 million expansion project have selected three finalists from the 10 Little Rock area architectural firms that applied to partner on the overhaul.

Officials with Allison and Partners; Cromwell Architects; and Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects -- all of which have Little Rock offices -- will interview in two weeks with the selection committee. The finalist will be selected by the end of the month, an Arts Center spokesman said Friday.

Chicago-based Studio Gang, founded by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, received the lead design contract in December. Studio Gang will work alongside the local firm throughout a 20-month design phase and 18-month construction phase, leading up to the scheduled May 2022 opening of the new Arts Center.

"In collaboration with Studio Gang, we agreed that these three firms offer the best match given their experience and the complexity of our project," Arts Center Executive Director Todd Herman said in a statement.

Little Rock voters in 2016 approved a $37.5 million bond issue, backed by a 2 percentage-point increase in the city's hotel tax, to pay for the project. Officials have said private contributions will also be sought to help pay for the project, but a specific fundraising target won't be set until later this year.

The project calls for 40,000 square feet of additional space and a 90,000-square-foot renovation. The expansion's $46 million estimated cost is for construction only, Herman said, so the ultimate cost will be higher.

Established in 1960, the Arts Center includes the art museum, regular art workshops and a children's theater. The building's previous major expansion was in 2000 and included construction of 30,000 square feet of additional space and renovation of 12,000 square feet.

Metro on 02/04/2017

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