Cultural Construction Slowdown

Is this merely a lull in a continuing trend? Or are we seeing the last gasp of major performing-arts-center construction for a while? Many of the cities that wanted better halls have completed them. And reports of economic distress among these new venues—which prompted the University of Chicago to study cultural infrastructure in the U.S.—have caused other communities to think twice before jumping on the bandwagon. “Local governments are experiencing difficulties,” says Paul Scarbrough, acoustician for The Smith Center, “and the philanthropic community is sitting on the sidelines, wondering if they'll be asked to support these buildings down the road.”

No wonder. A number of the centers experienced cost overruns, saddling their owners with significant bank debt. And they have often proved expensive to operate. “The new halls generate more red ink than the old ones,” says former arts consultant Adrian Ellis, executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.