ATLANTA—On September 15, a clear night with a hint of fall, the first new major arts center in forty years opened on the northern edge of Atlanta.
Gowned and tuxedoed guests walked a broad red carpet into the dramatic building. A small army of valets sprinted to and from the parking lot to the red carpet. Women wore lace, silk, gold, satin, diamonds. Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss beamed and shook hands with people at the "Fete Accompli" celebrating completion of the long-planned performance space. Beloved Atlanta news anchor Monica Pearson entered the theatre on the arm of her police officer husband.
The 2,750-seat theatre has been planned for many years. The Cobb–Marietta Exhibit Hall Authority was created by the Georgia legislature in 1980, and it began to study the idea of the arts center in 1991. Atlanta's most significant other arts venues are the Fox, a rescued movie palace, the Woodruff Arts Center, and the Civic Center, a huge, minimalist sixties building. Because the Fox was built for movies, it is impractical for large dance and stage productions such as operas or Broadway shows.
The stage and the backstage areas are narrow. The acoustics are imperfect. The Centre is designed for the best possible acoustics and for the convenience of large companies. Twenty-inch thick concrete walls shield the interior from outside noise from passing planes (Lockheed is nearby) and from highway noise. The center is visible from the highway and has its own highway exit and ample parking. Huge loading bays allow elaborate sets to be unloaded easily.
The Atlanta Opera performed at the Fox for many years, switched to the Civic Center a couple of seasons ago, and will become company in residence at the Cobb Energy Center starting with Puccini's 'Turandot' this month. Fun, lavish, dramatic details remind one of a modern answer to the Fox, which has twinkling stars in a lapis lazuli ceiling. The building has the right personality for opera. An "alabaster light wall" stretches three stories.
The exterior looks like a dairy queen soft serve. Luscious red and purple fabrics and gold and silver and glass are everywhere, and great vistas open up. Despite the luxury and drama, it has a human scale. In the lobby, a 28 foot mirrored silver and gold painting of "The Nine Muses" reflects viewers. The artist, Jimmy O'Neal, intended for the viewer to be part of the painting. The most charming detail was a small one.
During the "Fete Accompli" waiters kept offering little plates of food. A heavy curved glass wall outside the theatre had a lip about six inches deep, just wide enough to put a plate, or a wineglass, or an evening bag on. That was a friendly gesture from the architect. Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, Inc. did a beautiful job
The Woodruff Arts Center has Symphony Hall and the Alliance Theatre, which work but are not especially rich in pizazz. Woodruff is planning a major building program to expand performance space, after greatly enhancing the art museum in 2005. Atlanta is having a civic boom, with the Beltline, One Museum Place, and the Cobb Energy Centre among the accomplishments.
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