Jaime Rae Turnbull, Executive Director, Schaap Center for Performing Arts spoke to the Club July 9th
David Morrow | Published on 7/11/2024
Jaime Rae took us down the long and winding road of the creation of a $45 million performing arts center in Grosse Pointe Park, including the original concept, the planning, multiple lengthy approvals, fundraising, site acquisition, groundbreaking, and the planned completion in 2025.
The vision for the A. Paul And Carol C. Schaap Center for the Performing Arts and the Richard and Jane Manoogian Art Gallery is for the center to become a prominent place of public fellowship and gathering for the appreciation of the arts – for the community and the region. It will include space for the world-class performing arts theater and a gallery for the exhibition of artwork. The theater will include a fly loft, elevatable orchestra pit, LED projection wall, advanced lighting capabilities, perfect tunable acoustics, and intimate seating with 424 seats on two levels The anchor tenants will be Grosse Pointe Theatre, Grosse Pointe Symphony Orchestra, Grosse Pointe Community Chorus, and the Detroit Concert Choir. Numerous other arts organizations have agreed to perform or exhibit at the Schaap Center to broaden their audiences, including the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Medical Orchestra, Detroit Public Television, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Opera Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Marshall M Fredericks Sculpture Museum, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, Pewabic Pottery, and the Carr Center.
Although the Center is nearly completely funded, fundraising continues for an estimated $10 million endowment.
Issues with the Wayne County Drain easement have not been settled, but negotiations are ongoing, and an interim agreement allows construction at the Center to continue.
For more information on the Schaap Center, see https://schaapcenter.org/
For pictures from the meeting, see July 9, 2024 Members Meeting