PORT ANGELES – A new performing arts center in downtown Port Angeles is still on track to open in July.
Field Arts and Events Hall Executive Director Steve Raider Ginsburg says construction on the inside of the building on the waterfront at Oak Street is progressing.
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“I wish people could see what we see on a daily basis. There’s anywhere between 30 and 50 people working in that facility four days a week. And now we’re working multiple shifts. So we’re getting into the finishing stages inside with painters, coming in to finish the auditorium. And what’s really interesting, they’re finishing from the ceiling down. So the hardest work to get to they’re on lifts in the auditorium and all throughout the building, blacking things out, the ceiling is coming in.”
Construction paused for nearly two years during the COVID pandemic, with the outside of the building mostly complete. Crews got back at it in August to start finishing the insides.
The last weekend in July, Ginsburg says they will hold a public grand opening that will include dancers on the side of the building.
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“What these dancers are doing, we will have 6 of them, they will be jumping off of our roof and dancing on the side of the building three times on Saturday July 29th. While they’re up there dancing, we will have an outdoor stage on Pebble Beach that has some local acts. We’ll also have picnic tables out there and you can go in and do a self-guided tour walk through the building. Of course we will have headlining acts on Friday on Saturday and Sunday as well.”
Ginsburg says they will actually be a full seven days of activities leading up to the grand opening.
When finished Field Arts and Events Hall will be a state-of-the-art 500-seat theater/auditorium as well as space to hold events and conventions for 300 people. Ginsburg says they’re already booking events.
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“We’ve had a lot of high school, PA high school classes, coming and taking tours and taking a look at it for their high school reunions, weddings, family, reunions, corporate trainings. There are people coming through on a regular basis to review the space and we just hired a food and beverage director, so that can also really try to up our game and allow for the access to food and beverage.”
The center was made possible through two bequests, one of which specifically called for developing a performing arts center. That money has been match mostly through local individual and corporate donations to cover the $56 million dollar cost.