DEVELOPMENT TOUR: WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER

High Expansion Creates “Village for the Arts” in Midtown

The High Museum of Art will open its expanded facilities to the public on November 12, 2005, unveiling architect Renzo Piano’s vibrant “village for the arts” at the Woodruff Arts Center—a cultural hub that not only creates dynamic new spaces, but also embodies the spirit of Blueprint Midtown II.

Certainly, the three new buildings, which will allow the High to display more of its growing collection, increase public programs and offer new visitor amenities, are reason enough to celebrate. But with a signature piazza, inviting walkways, an openness to Peachtree Street, a sleek new restaurant, and easy access to public transportation via the Arts Center MARTA station, the expansion also embraces many elements of the Blueprint and exemplifies the master plan’s vision of a vital, successful urban community.

“ Atlanta is a city in tune with nature, so in designing the High and the Woodruff Arts Center, I wanted to create a light-filled, unified campus that embraces the landscape and engages with its surroundings,” Piano said. “We set out to create a vision—a vibrant neighborhood that’s active seven days a week—that will invigorate the people and the cultural life of the city.”

The new buildings centered around the public piazza will more than double the museum’s size to 312,000 square feet. The High expansion is the centerpiece of an overall upgrade of the Woodruff Arts Center, which in addition to the museum also encompasses the Atlanta College of Art, the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Young Audiences of Atlanta and the 14 th Street Playhouse. The improvements will strengthen the High’s role as the premier art museum in the Southeast, allowing the museum to better serve its growing audience in Atlanta and from around the world.

In recent years, High attendance has soared to nearly 350,000 visitors per year, the collection has nearly doubled, and membership has reached a high of over 41,000 households, placing the High among the top 10 museum memberships in the US. The fundraising campaign to expand the High and enhance the Woodruff Arts Center campus reached its $130 million goal in November 2004. Funds include $85 million in construction costs for the High Museum of Art; $15 million for the High endowment; and $30 million in expansion and improvement costs for the Woodruff Arts Center.

The expanded campus will create a cultural hub where visitors can experience the finest art, music and theatre in the city. The piazza will open the Arts Center to the surrounding neighborhood, offering views of Peachtree Street and outdoor seating for a new full-service restaurant. Table 1280, led by Shawn Doty, one of Atlanta’s local celebrity chefs, is billed as “a new American brasserie and tapas lounge” and is managed by Restaurant Associates. This New York-based company serves some of the world’s finest museums and venues, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

The expansion earns high marks from Midtown Alliance for incorporating many elements outlined in Blueprint Midtown II, a community-envisioned plan unveiled in 2004 and detailing what the people of Midtown want their community to be.
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Project Facts: 1280 Peachtree Street NE . Atlanta, GA 30309

Campus is undergoing a $100 million expansion of its campus that will upgrade and add to its facilities
Expansion will create the fourth-largest arts center in the country, behind the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Los Angeles Music Center
The High Museum will double in size, growing from 135,000 sq. ft. to 312,000 sq. ft.
With the expansion, the High will become the 16th largest museum in the United States
The new High will include 1,000 skylights, 7 elevators, and 4 glass-enclosed bridges
At the completion of the campus expansion, the Center will feature buildings from two Pritzker Architecture Award winners, Richard Meier (architect of the original High) and Renzo Piano (architect of the expansion)


	DEVELOPMENT TOUR: WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER
	High Expansion Creates “Village for the Arts” in Midtown The High Museum of Art will open its expanded facilities to the public on November 12, 2005, unveiling architect Renzo Piano’s vibrant “village for the arts” at the Woodruff Arts Center—a cultural hub that not only creates dynamic new spaces, but also embodies the spirit of Blueprint Midtown II. Certainly, the three new buildings, which will allow the High to display more of its growing collection, increase public programs and offer new visitor amenities, are reason enough to celebrate. But with a signature piazza, inviting walkways, an openness to Peachtree Street, a sleek new restaurant, and easy access to public transportation via the Arts Center MARTA station, the expansion also embraces many elements of the Blueprint and exemplifies the master plan’s vision of a vital, successful urban community. “ Atlanta is a city in tune with nature, so in designing the High and the Woodruff Arts Center, I wanted to create a light-filled, unified campus that embraces the landscape and engages with its surroundings,” Piano said. “We set out to create a vision—a vibrant neighborhood that’s active seven days a week—that will invigorate the people and the cultural life of the city.” The new buildings centered around the public piazza will more than double the museum’s size to 312,000 square feet. The High expansion is the centerpiece of an overall upgrade of the Woodruff Arts Center, which in addition to the museum also encompasses the Atlanta College of Art, the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Young Audiences of Atlanta and the 14 th Street Playhouse. The improvements will strengthen the High’s role as the premier art museum in the Southeast, allowing the museum to better serve its growing audience in Atlanta and from around the world. In recent years, High attendance has soared to nearly 350,000 visitors per year, the collection has nearly doubled, and membership has reached a high of over 41,000 households, placing the High among the top 10 museum memberships in the US. The fundraising campaign to expand the High and enhance the Woodruff Arts Center campus reached its $130 million goal in November 2004. Funds include $85 million in construction costs for the High Museum of Art; $15 million for the High endowment; and $30 million in expansion and improvement costs for the Woodruff Arts Center. The expanded campus will create a cultural hub where visitors can experience the finest art, music and theatre in the city. The piazza will open the Arts Center to the surrounding neighborhood, offering views of Peachtree Street and outdoor seating for a new full-service restaurant. Table 1280, led by Shawn Doty, one of Atlanta’s local celebrity chefs, is billed as “a new American brasserie and tapas lounge” and is managed by Restaurant Associates. This New York-based company serves some of the world’s finest museums and venues, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The expansion earns high marks from Midtown Alliance for incorporating many elements outlined in Blueprint Midtown II, a community-envisioned plan unveiled in 2004 and detailing what the people of Midtown want their community to be. *________________________________________________________* *Project Facts:* 1280 Peachtree Street NE . Atlanta, GA 30309 Campus is undergoing a $100 million expansion of its campus that will upgrade and add to its facilities Expansion will create the fourth-largest arts center in the country, behind the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Los Angeles Music Center The High Museum will double in size, growing from 135,000 sq. ft. to 312,000 sq. ft. With the expansion, the High will become the 16th largest museum in the United States The new High will include 1,000 skylights, 7 elevators, and 4 glass-enclosed bridges At the completion of the campus expansion, the Center will feature buildings from two Pritzker Architecture Award winners, Richard Meier (architect of the original High) and Renzo Piano (architect of the expansion)