Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PCT) is a nonprofit arts organization formed in 1984 for the specific purpose of promoting economic and cultural development in Pittsburgh through the revitalization of the Downtown area.[1] The Trust owns and manages six theaters in the downtown arts and entertainment district,[2] including Theater Square and Harris Theater. In total, the organization oversees more than 1 million square feet of real estate[3] that incorporates other types of cultural venues, such as a performing arts center and an arts education center.[4]
As of April 2012, the Trust's president and chief executive officer (CEO) is J. Kevin McMahon, and as of 2010, its net assets are documented to the value of US$125,096,209.[1]
|
Contents
|
History
The Cultural District was inspired by H. J. Heinz II, known as Jack Heinz. Jack and other individuals, including his son, United States (US) Senator from Pennsylvania John Heinz, and William Rea, began with Pittsburgh's first renovated former movie palace, Heinz Hall, (which was built as the former Loew's Penn Theater), reopening after a complete restoration in 1971 as a new home for the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (the Trust) was established in 1984 to realize Jack Heinz's vision for a centralized destination for arts and entertainment.
Major projects
The Trust's first major project was the restoration of the former Stanley Theater. The Stanley Theater was originally designed by the firm of Hoffman & Henon and opened on February 27, 1928. Under the Trust's management, this theater underwent a $43 million dollar restoration and reopened in 1987 as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. The 2,800-seat Benedum Center is the crowned jewel of the Cultural District and is one of the most utilized theaters in the nation today[citation needed].
The Byham Theater, a building at 101 Sixth Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, was another theater venue restoration project. Built in 1903, the then called Gayety Theater was a stage and Vaudeville house, and it featured stars such as Ethel Barrymore, Gertrude Lawrence, and Helen Hayes[citation needed]. It was renamed The Fulton in the 1930s when it became a full-time movie theater. In 1990, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust bought the theater and refurbished the Fulton as part of its plan for the Cultural District. The Byham family of Pittsburgh made a major naming gift for a 1995 renovation, and it has been the Byham Theater since.
The year 1999 was an especially prolific one for the Trust. That year, the Trust's 650-seat O'Reilly Theater opens as the permanent home of the Pittsburgh Public Theater. The 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2) Agnes R. Katz Plaza is unveiled and features a 25-foot (7.6 m) bronze fountain designed by sculptor Louise Bourgeois and the work of landscape architect Dan Kiley. Also during 1999 artists Robert Wilson and Richard Gluckman are selected by the Trust to create a series of public art projects in the Cultural District.
Present day
Today the 14-square block area has been transformed from a red-light district (with two cultural facilities, Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center) into an art zone comprising arts venues, theaters, visual art galleries, public parks and plazas; commercial and residential living developments have also been added. The Trust is involved with the ongoing urban redevelopment of Downtown Pittsburgh and includes streetscaping programs, facade restorations, new cultural facilities, public open spaces and art projects in its current work.
PCT's first "President & CEO", selected by Jack Heinz, was Carol Brown, who managed the organization from 1986 until 2000. Current "President & CEO", J. Kevin McMahon, is the Trust's second director and as of 2010, the Trust's total revenue was publicly listed as US$$46,610,700.[1]
Controversy
On 18 April 2012, Kenneth Milani resigned from the position of chairman of the Trust's board. The organization's Executive Committee accepted the resignation from Milan, who had been chairman since 2005. Whilst a reason for the decision has not been officially confirmed, it is public knowledge that Milani, the CEO of Highmark, had been charged in March 2012 with assault and trespassing; the incident involved the husband of Highmark employee, Melissa Myler, with whom Milani had been romantically connected.[5] Veronica Corpuz, spokesperson for the Trust, informed the media that the Executive Committee had appointed attorneys, Carolyn Duronio and Chuck Queenan, as Milani's interim replacement until a new chairman was found.[6]
Milestones
The Trust's major programmatic milestones during its first quarter century of service in the Cultural District include:
In 1987, the Trust and its partners present an annual Broadway series in the Cultural District.
In 1992, the Trust opens Wood Street Galleries, its first visual arts project.
In 1995, the Trust purchased and refurbished a former XXX movie theater and re-opened the 194-seat theater as the Harris Theater. Pittsburgh Filmmakers screens independent, foreign and classic films at the Harris Theater.
In 2000, The Trust establishes Shared Services, a Cultural District cost savings consortium which includes The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.
In 2001, J. Kevin McMahon is named President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as the successor to Carol Brown.
In 2002, Pittsburgh Dance Council becomes a programming division of the Trust.
In 2003, The Trust opens Theater Square, a 330,000-square-foot (31,000 m2) complex, which includes a parking garage, centralized box office, the 265-seat Cabaret at Theater Square, Backstage Bar, a restaurant and the Carolyn M. Byham WQED fm89.3 remote broadcast studio. This year, First Night Pittsburgh becomes a program of the Trust.
During 2004, the Trust presented the Quebec Festival and the Pittsburgh Festival of Firsts, and opened the three new art galleries: SPACE and 707-709 Penn Galleries. The Trust also acquires the property at 937 Liberty Avenue which is utilized by locals arts organizations for performance arts and visual arts exhibits. 2004 also marks the Trust's first Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, a free, quarterly arts open house.
In 2005, The Trust purchased the property at 805-807 Liberty Avenue. This combined property would become home to the James E. Rohr Building, the Trust Arts Education Center.
In 2007, The Trust presents the Australia Festival.
In 2008, the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and Festival becomes a programming division of the Trust. During that same year, the Trust presents the 2nd Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.
In 2009, Three Rivers Arts Festival became a programming division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
External links
Notes
- ^ a b c "The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust". Charity Navigator - Your Guide To Intelligent Giving. Charity Navigator. 2012. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4552. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ "Explore Pittsburgh - Arts & Culture". Carnegie Mellon Undergraduate Admission. Carnegie Mellon University. 2005. http://my.cmu.edu/portal/site/admission/arts/. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ "About the Trust". Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. 2012-2013. http://www.trustarts.org/about. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ "World-Class Facilities" (Uploaded document on digital publishing platform). Trust Facility Map. Issuu Service. 2012. http://issuu.com/culturaltrust/docs/trust_facility_map?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (20 April 2012). "Melani resigns as chairman of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/melani-resigns-as-chairman-of-pittsburgh-cultural-trust-632266/. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (18 April 2012). "Pittsburgh Cultural Trust committee accepts Melani resignation". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_791884.html. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
References
- Toker, Franklin (1986, 1994). Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Read more