Arts and Culture Institutions as Urban Anchors Livingston Case Studies in Urban Development August 2014 Arts and Culture Anchor Institutions as Urban Anchors Livingston Case Studies in Urban Development Penn Institute for Urban Research University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Eugénie L. Birch, Cara Griffin, Amanda Johnson, Jonathon Stover Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Case 1. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida: Creating a New Institution ........................................................................................... 5 Case 2. Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.: Developing The Mead Center .................. 25 Case 3. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: Attracting Civic Support ...... 41 Case 4: The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia: Expanding the Museum ......... 55 Case 5: The Kimmel Center: Facing Challenges ...................................................... 65 Case 6: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, San Jose, California: Developing a Joint Library ............................................................................................................... 87 Case 7: The Music Center: Taking on New Roles .................................................. 109 Case 8: The Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia: Adapting to a Changing City ................................................................................... 125 Introduction Urban Anchors Additionally, Penn IUR convenes anchor institution leaders, their civic The appeal of many of the collaborators, and technical experts for country’s most successful cities comes intense, day-long roundtable discussions. from their anchor institutions, These Penn IUR Roundtable on Anchor geographically rooted entities that offer Institutions (PRAI) sessions offer an the jobs, services, entertainment options, opportunity to engage with peers, social centers, and other necessities and strategize solutions, compare notes from amenities that make urban life attractive. the field, and build a community of anchor These may be universities, hospitals, institutions. Prior to engaging in these sports facilities, performing or visual arts sessions, institution leaders work with and other cultural facilities, public Penn IUR to develop a case statement that utilities, and some large churches and outlines a compelling local challenge. local corporations. Many of the case studies presented Serving as engines of urban here originated with materials and renaissance – and sometimes even discussions at PRAI 2008 (Arena Stage, survival – in many places, anchor Woodruff Arts Center) and PRAI 2010 institutions are also magnets for (Art Institute of Chicago, High Museum) economic development. Their influence and reflect the challenges the institutions derives from their landholdings as well as were contending with at that time. These from their capacity as large employers, materials have been supplemented with revenue generators, and goods and additional interviews and research, and services purchasers. They contribute to addressed to a broader audience. Other urban reinvention and civic pride, and case studies (Arsht Center, Martin Luther attract knowledge-industry workers and King, Jr. Library) are included here to suburban spenders. They often fill illuminate lessons most useful to those in important vacuums when footloose public policy fields. industries leave a city. These case studies illuminate the Public policymakers and scholars issues with which organizations grapple, have taken note of the value of anchor whether they seek to build a new institutions: a growing body of knowledge institution, or expand an existing about their worth has developed over the institution, or simply find a place in an past ten years. Penn IUR is a leader in this ever-changing metropolitan environment. field. Penn IUR Co-Directors Eugenie We believe that sharing the processes Birch and Susan Wachter are among the that these institutions have gone through co-founders of the National Anchor will help students of public policy Institution Task Force, an organization understand the kinds of hurdles – both that develops and disseminates internal and external – that these knowledge that helps create mutually institutions face in engaging with their beneficial anchor institution/community cities. Our hope is that this improved partnerships. understanding will facilitate coordination Introduction 1 among all parties involved in creating developing and implementing a mutually beneficial relationships between campus improvement plan and institutions and civic communities. considering how to better meet the plan’s objectives, in particular the animating of the new central piazza. Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center Arts and Culture Institutions • opened in 2001 to mixed reviews: its Much of the existing literature on design drew strong feelings, both anchor institutions focuses on positive and negative, and its educational and medical anchors (“eds acoustics were generally criticized. and meds”) and stadiums, which – while Over the next ten years it continued to important – are not the only urban anchor face public criticism and internal institutions in their communities. Penn challenges. This case illustrates the IUR’s roundtable series has gathered ongoing difficulties of creating an representatives of less publicized types of anchor institution from scratch. anchors. Here we share case studies of • The Martin Luther King, Jr. Library arts and culture institutions. serves as both the main library for the • The Adrienne Arsht Center for the city of San José and the only library for Performing Arts case study offers San José State University. This case insights into the conditions that explores the challenges of melding the empower public, private, and operations, missions, resources, and institutional entities to create users of two distinct entities in order successful anchor institutions. This to develop and operate a single case study explores the factors that institution. enabled the Arsht Center of Miami, • The Music Center case study Florida to mature as an organization examines the institution during a in ways that serve its constituents. decade of change – in the process of • The Arena Stage case study explores transforming its role within its the decisions that resulted in the community, which was itself development of the Mead Center, a undergoing a transformation. new complex completed in 2010. It • This case study describes how the examines the issues that arose as Woodruff Arts Center has adapted to Arena Stage weighed community Atlanta, Georgia’s growth, focusing on interests with financial and political the major changes the Woodruff considerations while striving to grow implemented between 2000 and 2010, as a nationally recognized theater in order to provide insight into the company in Washington, D.C. relationship between the structure • The Art Institute of Chicago case and culture of a city and the study details the efforts the institute operations of an arts anchor undertook to attract civic support institution. during trying financial times. • The High Museum case study explores the institution’s experience expanding and renovating its campus, looking back on the process of 2 Livingston Case Studies in Urban Development Acknowledgements Contributors This research would not have been Penn IUR Co-Director Eugénie L. possible without the generous financial Birch spearheads Penn IUR’s anchor support of Lawrence Nussdorf and John institution research; she convened PRAI, Livingston. led site visits to many of the institutions, Lawrence Nussdorf’s contributions moderated discussions at each convening, made possible Penn IUR’s Roundtable on and directed research and writing of Anchor Institutions (PRAI), which these case studies. Cara Griffin, Penn IUR convenes leaders of anchor institutions to Editor and Publications Manager, discuss common issues, including (among coordinated the development of these others) leaders of Arena Stage and the case studies and researched and wrote Woodruff Arts Center in 2008 and the the High Museum case study. Amanda High Museum and the Art Institute of Johnson, Assistant Professor in the Chicago in 2010. Department of City and Regional Planning John Livingston supported the at Boise State University, researched and research and development of these case wrote the Art Institute of Chicago case studies. study. Jonathon Stover, consultant at Jon Thanks also to the many people Stover & Associates, a company who generously shared their time to help specializing in partnerships between the develop these case studies, including public, private, and institutional sectors, Adrienne Arsht, John Richard, and Valerie researched and wrote the Adrienne Arsht Riles at the Adrienne Arsht Center; Center, Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Desiree Urquhart, Susan Haas-Bralove, Woodruff Arts Center, and Arena Stage Edgar Dobie, Molly Smith, and Alison case studies. Irvin at Arena Stage; Erin Hogan, David Thurm, and James Cuno at the Art Institute of Chicago; Susan Clark and Michael Shapiro at the High Museum; Natalye Paquin and Anne Ewers at the Kimmel Center; Jane Light at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library; Josephine Ramirez, Howard Sherman, and Stephen Rountreeand at the Music Center; and Joe Bankoff and Tara Perry at the Woodruff Arts Center. Introduction 3 Case 1: Creating the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts