The PAC is part of the WTC Redevelopment Master Plan

The cultural venue promised to rise at the World Trade Center (WTC) site received positive news this week. The Performing Arts Center (PAC), planned to occupy the parcel at Vesey and Greenwich Streets, received the federal allocation under an agreement formed by the city and state, and designated by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC). The plan would award a $100 million in funding towards the project.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor David Paterson, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made the announcement today, as “part of a process for defining priority uses for the remaining federal money” that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to a statement.

The PAC is part of the WTC Redevelopment Master Plan, to serve as a “cultural anchor” amid the mixed-use commercial, retail, and Memorial sites. Additional federal funds overseen by the LMDC continue to be used for various programs and projects south of Canal Street -- including the East River Waterfront project, small-business support, and completion and maintenance of parks and transportation sites. LMDC funds also have been designated for infrastructure upgrades, as well as other cultural and community, and economic-development projects.

“Our collective desire to put $100 million towards the development of the Performing Arts Center site makes clear that the cultural venue is a critical part of the ongoing revitalization of Lower Manhattan,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

The LMDC allocated $55 million in funding for the PAC in 2006, having selected the Joyce Theater as its prime tenant and programming partner. Gehry Partners led the design for the PAC building that will host a broad range of performing arts in a building that contains a 1,000-seat theater, secondary theater, rehearsal spaces, classrooms, and café. With engineering drawings for the PAC’s foundations completed in 2009, the Port Authority began sub-grade construction and associated utility work as a part of its adjacent work on the WTC Transportation Hub.

“I am tremendously pleased that this $100 million commitment clearly paves the way for this long-promised performing arts center, which will be a cultural jewel for Lower Manhattan,” said Speaker Silver. “We are creating a world-class venue for music, dance and the performing arts that will be a celebration of the vital cultural life of our downtown neighborhood.”

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