Kennedy Center Expansion Project Receives Major Gifts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced additional major gifts for the Kennedy Center Expansion Project, the institution's first new construction since opening in 1971.

To date, $135.9 million has been raised under the Kennedy Center's "Building the Future" campaign, which will fund the Center's Expansion Project. After surpassing the initial fundraising goal of $125 million, the Center also announced today an increased capital campaign goal of $175 million. Michael F. Neidorff, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, serves as the Co-Chair of this campaign, which began in 2013.

"The Expansion Project is another important step in fulfilling President Kennedy's vision of furthering the appreciation of culture among all people," stated Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein, who also serves as Co-Chair of the campaign. "On behalf of a grateful nation, thanks to Boeing, Jacquie Mars, Stephen and Christine Schwarzman, our seven $5 million donors, and the many others who are giving so generously in support of expanding the scope of our national cultural center."

Led by David Rubenstein's landmark $50 million gift and a previously announced $20 million gift from Boeing, major gifts announced today include $10 million from Jacqueline Badger Mars and Stephen and Christine Schwarzman. A full listing of gifts follows:

$50 Million
David M. Rubenstein of Washington, DC

$20 Million
Boeing

$10 Million
Jacqueline Badger Mars of Fauquier County, Virginia
Stephen and Christine Schwarzman of New York, New York

$5 Million
David C. Bohnett Foundation of Los Angeles, California
Fred Eychaner of Chicago, Illinois
Natalie and Herb Kohler and Kohler Co. of Kohler, Wisconsin
Michael F. and Noémi K. Neidorff and The Centene Charitable Foundation of St. Louis, Missouri
Suzanne L. Niedland of Jupiter, Florida
The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation of Chicago, Illinois
Robert H. Smith Family Foundation of Washington, DC

$1 Million
Adrienne Arsht of Washington, DC
Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Martha and Carl Lindner III and The Psalms Foundation of Cincinnati, Ohio
Anonymous
Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk of Washington, DC
Iris Smith of Boulder, Colorado
Eva and Marc Stern of Malibu, California
The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
Elaine Wynn of Las Vegas, Nevada

Significant Leadership Gifts
Buffy Cafritz of Bethesda, Maryland
The HRH Foundation of Washington, DC

Additional Endowment Commitments
The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein of Washington, DC
The Honorable Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn of Washington, DC

Other donors include Robert B. Barnett, Gordon J. Davis, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Foggy Bottom Association, Barbara Goodman Manilow, James A. Johnson, Patricia Bennett Sagon, and The Honorable Carol L. Schwartz.

Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter stated, "We are enormously grateful for the enthusiasm and support of so many of our valued friends and benefactors. The Expansion and riverwalk serve as a new front door to the Kennedy Center as an arts destination. The fact that a project of this magnitude will be funded entirely through contributed donations is a testament to the shared passion for the arts in our community and in this country. "

The design and construction costs for the Expansion Project will be paid for entirely with contributed funds and is expected to open in 2018. With Mr. Rubenstein's $50 million lead gift announced in 2013, the Center began a major capital campaign of $125 million: $100 million for the expansion and an additional $25 million for major Kennedy Center programming initiatives. Since 2013, the design of the project has further developed, with the relocation of the river pavilion from the Potomac River to the land and the addition of an enhanced pedestrian bridge connecting the Rock Creek Parkway Trail to the Expansion. The design and construction cost for the project is now $119.5 million, including the land-based river pavilion, pedestrian bridge, and escalation costs due to the design adjustments. Costs not directly associated with the design and construction of the new facility that will be incurred to support and enhance the project include: art and exhibits in the public spaces, additional technology infrastructure in the existing facility to support new programming, parking and systems upgrades, pledge financing, fundraising, and marketing support. A component of the campaign also provides bridge funding for programming during the project.

The Kennedy Center Expansion presents a significant opportunity for the national performing arts center and memorial to John F. Kennedy to draw in new visitors and create a more inspiring dialogue between patrons and artists. The Expansion's innovative design preserves the silhouette of the original building while providing new, flexible spaces for audience engagement, informal performances, and educational activities. Located south of the existing facility, the three new pavilions will feature convertible, intimate venues, large gathering spaces with soaring ceilings filled with natural light, an outdoor wall for simulcasts, a dining café, and grand vistas onto the Potomac River below. The engaging landscape is intended to be a destination and gathering space for theater-goers, neighbors, and visitors throughout the day and evening. The Center's full connection to the Potomac River will finally be achieved with an inviting pedestrian bridge, connecting the riverfront and bike path to the expansion, as well as the Center to many of the nearby iconic monuments.

The expansion is designed by Steven Holl and senior partner Chris McVoy of Steven Holl Architects of New York in partnership with BNIM Architects of Kansas City.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America's living memorial to President Kennedy, and the nation's cultural center. Under the leadership of Chairman David M. Rubenstein and President Deborah F. Rutter, the nine theaters and stages of the nation's busiest performing arts facility attract audiences and visitors totaling 3 million people annually; Center-related touring productions, television, and radio broadcasts welcome 40 million more.

Opening its doors on September 8, 1971, the Center presents the greatest performances of music, dance, and theater; supports artists in the creation of new work; and serves the nation as a leader in arts education. With its artistic affiliates, the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Center's achievements as a commissioner, producer, and nurturer of developing artists have resulted in more than 300 theatrical productions, and dozens of new ballets, operas, and musical works.

Each year, millions of people nationwide take part in innovative, inclusive, and effective education programs initiated by the Center, including school- and community-based residencies and consultancies; age-appropriate performances and events for young people; career development for young actors, dancers, singers, and instrumentalists; and professional learning opportunities for teachers, teaching artists, and school administrators. These programs have become models for communities across the country. The Center's Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child program works with selected local school districts and seeks to provide a comprehensive arts education to children K-8. The Center also has been at the forefront of making the performing arts accessible to persons with disabilities, highlighted by the work accomplished with its affiliate, VSA.

As part of the Kennedy Center's Performing Arts for Everyone outreach program, the Center stages more than 400 free performances of music, dance, and theater by artists from throughout the world each year on the Center's main stages, and every evening at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. The Rubenstein Arts Access Program expands the Center's efforts to make the arts accessible to children, young adults, and to people who have little or limited ability to attend and enjoy the performing arts, enabling audiences to engage in more ways, at more times, and in more places than ever before.

Considered one of America's most important architects, Steven Holl is recognized for his ability to blend space and light with great contextual sensitivity and to utilize the unique qualities of each project to create a concept-driven design. He specializes in seamlessly integrating new projects into contexts with particular cultural and historic importance. Mr. Holl has been recognized with architecture's most prestigious awards and prizes, including the 2012 AIA Gold Medal, the RIBA 2010 Jencks Award, and the first ever Arts Award of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards in 2009. In 2002, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum awarded him its prestigious National Design Award in Architecture. In 2001, France bestowed the Grande Médaille d'Or upon him for Best Architect of the Academy of Architecture; in the same year Time magazine declared him "America's Best Architect" for his "buildings that satisfy the spirit as well as the eye." More information about Mr. Holl and past projects may be found at stevenholl.com.

For more information about the Kennedy Center Expansion Project, visit www.kennedy-center.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.