Construction to start this spring on performing arts center project

University team presents plans to city review groups

Rendering of the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center CWRU
A view of the exterior of The Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple – Tifereth Israel. Image courtesy of MGA Partners. Click image to enlarge.

Case Western Reserve’s ambitious effort to transform The Temple – Tifereth Israel into a state-of-the-art space for performing arts is growing closer to reality: Construction will start this spring.

The university’s Board of Trustees approved the project last month after officials reported raising $59.3 million. The overwhelming majority of the space can be completed for $60 million, an approach that requires leaving some space unfinished, or “shelled.” Completing the project altogether will require about $4 million more, and university leaders continue to fundraise actively for the project. They also hope to raise additional dollars to support an endowment for the project.

“Our students bring remarkable talents in the performing arts, and this project will provide them space commensurate with their skills and potential,” President Barbara R. Snyder said. “We are profoundly grateful to all of the people who stepped forward to support this effort, starting with Milton and Tamar Maltz and extending to the undergraduates who performed in the KSL Oval this fall to help raise funds.”

The proscenium at The Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple – Tifereth Israel
The proscenium theater at The Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple – Tifereth Israel. Image courtesy of of MGA Partners. Click image to enlarge.

Since the 2010 announcement of plans to renovate the historic East 105th Street structure, Case Western Reserve officials have sought financial support from around the country. Beginning with the Maltz Family Foundation’s original lead gift of $12 million, more than 60 individuals and organizations have committed support.

During this time, project architects MGA Partners of Philadelphia have collaborated with faculty and academic leaders to identify priorities for the departments of theater, music and dance, as well as unique opportunities created by the building’s existing design. As currently planned, The Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple – Tifereth Israel will include sweeping renovations to allow the sanctuary to serve as a stunning concert and lecture hall, a new, 350-seat proscenium theater, a black-box theater and a smaller recital hall. The nearly 145,000-square-foot complex also will include dance and acting studios for classes and rehearsals, scene and costume shops, a resource center and media lab, and classroom and other academic spaces.

Exterior overview of The Temple – Tifereth Israel
An exterior overview of The Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple – Tifereth Israel. Image courtesy of MGA Partners. Click image to enlarge.

“When completed, this project will put Case Western Reserve at the forefront of universities nationwide in terms of the quality and ambition of the performing and rehearsal space,” said Cyrus Taylor, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “I am tremendously excited to see what our students and faculty achieve in this new environment, and deeply appreciative of all of the donors who recognized the rich potential of this building.”

Today university officials present their proposal to the Cleveland Planning Commission, part of advance efforts designed to secure all of the governmental approvals required to allow construction to start this spring. Watch The Daily for more project updates.