Ten years ago, members of the Howard County Arts Council could only dream of a new countywide performing arts center that would provide a high-profile venue for plays, concerts and other events.
On Wednesday, they and other supporters of the arts toured the nearly completed Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts, named after Columbia's late founder and due to open in February in a wing of the new Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.
The $1.6 million, 750-seat performance center, built with public and private contributions, boasts a high-tech stage and lighting system, three dressing rooms, a makeup room and a theater office, among other features.
Its central location is expected to make it a focal point of the community, as well as provide an important resource for performing arts programs at Wilde Lake High School itself.
"People pulled together," said Michael Galeone, president of the Howard County Arts Council and executive vice president of Columbia Bank, which contributed $20,000 to the project. "It's a real achievement."
The 12,492-square-foot performing arts center is the product of a coalition of artists, arts educators, local and state government officials and businesses that worked together closely during a period of downsizing and limited government funds.
The demolition of the aged Wilde Lake High School in 1994 and the construction of a new school on the same site provided a one-time opportunity to make the dream of a new performing arts center a reality, arts supporters say.
The original Wilde Lake High School auditorium had served as a community and regional performing arts center, often as the site of events by the Howard County Arts Council.
As a result, the new school was seen as the right location for a performing arts center.
"Not only did we talk to the arts educators, but we took surveys of the general public," said Mary Toth, executive director of the Howard County Arts Council. "We know that arts education was high on the general public's agenda."
With support from Howard County public schools, the Board of Education, county government and private investors, the project moved forward in 1994.
Funding included $400,000 from the state, $400,000 from private sources and $800,000 from the county.
On Wednesday, about 45 supporters toured the center, including Patty Rouse, widow of James W. Rouse, Howard County Council members, state lawmakers and representatives of the businesses that donated money for the project.
