GREENSBORO, NC -- After much pomp, circumstance and anticipation the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is officially under construction. The $78 million dollar project in downtown Greensboro will seat 3,000 people, offer a wide variety of shows and aims to draw audiences from across the east coast.
Project Manager Walker Sanders says the building should be complete by 2019. After a few delays the city council approved the construction budget in an 8-1 vote Tuesday night.
More than 400 private donors raised the money to complete the project that will also be funded through parking revenue. Mayor Nancy Vaughan says anyone who visits the state-of-the-art center will contribute to it's funding.
Greensboro native Steven Tanger, from where the center draws it's name, spoke at the ceremony. He said he wanted to contribute so much to the project because this is his home. Tanger grew up in Greensboro, attended Grimsley High School and went to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You might recognize the name from Tanger Outlets.
Mayor Vaughan said this is exactly what Greensboro needs. She and Governor Roy Cooper agree that this new facility will bring new jobs to the city and state and will draw big business.
The Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is expected to host more than 150 events each year.
