The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is being transformed through a $56 million renovation designed to help the theater complex compete with nearby entertainment hubs.
The complex, future home to a bistro and banquet hall, topped out yesterday, the Sun-Sentinel reported. A new pavilion is expected to be completed by early 2014. Other planned improvements include new premium seats and upgraded restrooms and backstage areas.
The downtown Fort Lauderdale center opened in 1991. It has hosted numerous Broadway shows and opera, jazz and ballet performances, but competitors such as the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood and the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami have put pressure on city and Broward County officials to expand the center in order to remain relevant. [Sun-Sentinel] – Eric Kalis