Las Vegas Weekly

February 27, 2010 · 7:11 AM

Six $1 million donors announced as Smith Center tops off

By Robin Leach

The topping off of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 25, 2010.

Photo: Kirvin Doak Communications

The topping-off ceremony at Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday brought it one step closer to readying the curtain in Symphony Park. The final piece of Reynolds Hall, a staggering 50 tons of steel, was raised to complete the Carillon Bell Tower, taking it to its highest point of 170 feet. As a symbol of good luck, the steel structure went upward with a pine tree that will eventually have a permanent home in the gardens there.

“The dream of bringing a world-class stage to Las Vegas inches closer to reality every day,” said Myron Martin, president and CEO of Smith Center for the Performing Arts. “It’s both gratifying and exhilarating to watch construction workers make such significant progress on this magnificent facility that will soon enhance the cultural landscape of our city.”

Currently ahead of schedule, the Smith Center looks to welcome its first audience in Spring 2012. Since the ceremonial carillon bell casting and ringing groundbreaking in May 2009, the construction team has completed one-third of the project. Unlike a typical building, a performing arts center has to focus as much time, if not more, on the interior to ensure the highest-quality visual and sound experience. The Smith Center proudly announced six new founders donors at the million-dollar level or higher during the topping out.

During the ceremony, Myron unveiled the future street number of The Smith Center, 361, commemorating the wedding anniversary of its namesake, Fred W. and Mary B. Smith. Mayor Oscar Goodman also announced the renaming of Discovery Drive to Symphony Avenue Drive, making the official address of The Smith Center 361 Symphony Park Ave.

The Smith Center is a 4.75-acre complex that will house Nevada Ballet Theater and the Las Vegas Philharmonic as the cultural hub of Las Vegas when it opens in Symphony Park, the 61-acre development in downtown Las Vegas. In celebration of this milestone, The Smith Center launched its all-new Web site at TheSmithCenter.com and a Facebook page.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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