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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Opera to breathe new life into Mercer Arena
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
12/5/2007 11:30:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Hazel Bhang Barnett (206) 615-0885
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Opera to breathe new life into Mercer Arena
SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced a deal to transform the aging and mothballed Mercer Arena into a new home for the Seattle Opera.
Under the proposed 30-year agreement, Mercer Arena would house Seattle Opera’s operations - administrative, rehearsal, educational, technical support, costume and scenic studios space - providing opportunities for the public to experience the behind-the-scenes world of the Opera. Currently these functions are housed in several facilities throughout the greater Seattle area.
“The fat lady was about to sing for Mercer Arena, but this agreement with the Opera will breathe new life into an old building,” Nickels said. “It will make this art form more popular by bringing the back of the house into the public eye. And the agreement fits our vision of keeping Seattle Center a compelling place for arts and culture for the century ahead.”
Under the agreement, Seattle Opera has proposed to invest approximately $40 million in capital improvements to renovate or replace the 80-year-old facility and address seismic and other requirements. Annual rent paid on the building will help support Seattle Center, and the Opera will pay ongoing maintenance and utility costs currently covered by the city.
As the sixth-largest opera company in the country and largest employer of the theatrical trades in the state of Washington, Seattle Opera sees the move as an opportunity to expand its extensive educational programs and facilitate collaborations with other arts entities regionally and throughout the country.
The proposed plan also has the potential to accommodate other tenants compatible with Seattle Center’s mission. The Mayor’s Task Force for Seattle Center Sustainability and the more recent Century 21 Committee have both recommended this as the best use for Mercer Arena.
“We see this agreement as a win-win situation for the city, Seattle Center, community, and Seattle Opera. The initiative brings a venerable, however aging, building back to life, with no public cost and potentially great public benefit,” said Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams.
“The possibility of making Mercer Arena the future location for Seattle Opera operations is not just the fulfillment of a dream, it is the beginning of a new era,” said Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins. “Placing all the many forces of our company under one roof will stimulate the type of interaction vital to making the best artistic product and will allow all the elements that make up the complicated art form called opera to become an integral part of Seattle Center’s theater district. As an opera company, we transform empty stages into spectacular places. We look forward to bringing that same transformation to Mercer Arena.”
The negotiated lease agreement between the city of Seattle and Seattle Opera will be referred in December for approval by the Seattle City Council. If approved, the Opera will move forward on feasibility and design determinations for occupancy projected by the end of 2013.
Visit the mayor’s Web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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