Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts complex at 701 Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Florida. It opened in 1992. Each year, the center hosts more than 800 events and welcomes over 400,000 visitors. Its mission centers on enriching quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting diverse national and international artists and companies of the highest caliber, running comprehensive arts education programs, providing a home for local and regional arts organizations to share their work, and serving as an economic engine and community leader in West Palm Beach. The Kravis Center didn't just open its doors. It transformed downtown. The facility paved the way for CityPlace, the Palm Beach County Convention Center, and other redevelopment projects, and proved instrumental in Palm Beach County's rise as Florida's Cultural Capital.
History and Background
People in Palm Beach County had dreamed about a major performing arts venue for decades. Real efforts began in the early 1950s with the arrival of the Palm Beach Playhouse, later renamed the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. Mary Howes, a local arts champion, formed Fine Arts Festival, Incorporated in 1968 along with other residents. They organized six benefits to raise money, commissioning architect John Volk to design a model and even optioning land near what's now the West Palm Beach Auditorium.
Alexander Wallace Dreyfoos Jr. arrived in West Palm Beach in 1968. Back then, the West Palm Beach Auditorium was the main performance space in Palm Beach County. By 1980, the Arts Center Committee was seriously pursuing a privately funded arts center. They'd already selected a site at Currie Park on Lake Worth, but the community wasn't ready to commit financially. A proposed county one-cent sales tax referendum failed, yet about thirty percent of voters backed taxing themselves for a world-class performing arts center. That was enough encouragement to keep going.
Currie Park faced neighborhood opposition. Lake Worth's Palm Beach Community College site hit legal snags. Eventually, Henry John Rolfs, Sr. and David Paladino contributed 5.4 acres from their unbuilt Downtown/Uptown project, now CityPlace. A statue honoring Rolfs stands on Okeechobee Boulevard next to the Kravis Center.
Fundraising exceeded all expectations. By summer 1991, it became clear the center would reach an unprecedented goal. A fully funded opening. International media took notice. The entire campaign ultimately raised more than $40 million through private donations, marking Florida's most successful arts campaign ever.
September 1992 brought the opening. Tens of thousands attended a full week of free performances by local arts groups during dedication week. The Gala Grand Opening happened on November 28, 1992, featuring the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor James Judd, with Burt Reynolds as Master of Ceremonies, plus performances by Roberta Peters, Isaac Stern, Leontyne Price, and Ella Fitzgerald.
The Namesake: Raymond F. Kravis
Raymond F. Kravis was a geologist and philanthropist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who wintered in Palm Beach for over 35 years. Born in London, England, he grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and graduated from Lehigh University with an Engineer of Mines degree in 1924. He moved to Tulsa and became Chairman of the Board at Raymond F. Kravis and Associates, Inc. That company grew into one of the country's leading oil and gas consulting engineering firms. His work on mergers, acquisitions, estate evaluations, and innovative production oil and gas payment methods earned him widespread professional respect.
Success in business led to philanthropy. Kravis gave generously to higher education, human relations, cultural affairs, and health and welfare causes. His friends donated more than $7 million in 1985 to name the facility after him. Dreyfoos brought together friends of philanthropist Raymond Field Kravis (1901–1993) to donate millions in his name, personally giving at least $6 million. Kravis died in October 1993 at his Palm Beach winter home at age 92, just one year after the center bearing his name held its grand opening.[1]
Venues and Facilities
Three main theaters make up the Kravis Center: the 2,195-seat Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall, the 289-seat Rinker Playhouse, and the 170-seat Helen K. Persson Hall. There's also the outdoor Michael and Andrew Gosman Amphitheatre, which holds 1,400 guests.
The Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall is the complex's centerpiece. This 90,000-square-foot hall seats over 2,000 and opened in November 1992 as the main venue. Named after Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr., the founding Chairman of the Board, the hall underwent a major upgrade in March 2016 when the Kravis Center became the first performing arts center in the world to install a custom-designed digital organ. Alexander W. Dreyfoos funded the project himself.
The Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Playhouse is a 5,000-square-foot black box theater with 300 seats. It's designed for smaller productions, touring shows, and local performances that need an intimate space.
The $31 million Cohen Pavilion joined the complex in 2003, bringing the Weiner Banquet Center, Gimelstob Ballroom, and Picower Foundation Arts Education Center with the Persson Rehearsal Hall.
The entire complex spans 10.6 acres and totals 853,500 square feet. That includes a freestanding 1,187-space parking garage. The Kravis Center isn't owned by the city, county, or state. It's a private 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with a $26 million annual operating budget. Earned revenue covers 80 percent, with fundraising making up the remaining 20 percent.
History runs deep here. The center was built on the former site of Connie Mack Field, the spring training home of the Kansas City Athletics until 1962, when West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium replaced it.
Design and Architecture
Architect Eberhard Zeidler, principal partner at Zeidler-Roberts Partnership in Toronto, Ontario, designed the building. His firm also created the World Trade Center and Liberty Place One in Philadelphia. Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants in New York handled the acoustic design. Johnson's other work includes Symphony Hall in Birmingham, England and the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas. Blount, Inc. of Montgomery, Alabama served as contractor. They'd previously worked on the Louisiana Superdome and Kuwait's reconstruction after the Gulf War. The finished building stands out with its copper and marble exterior, creating a striking presence on Okeechobee Boulevard near downtown West Palm Beach.[2]
Education and Community Programs
Education matters deeply to the Kravis Center. Nearly 3 million Palm Beach County students have attended performances through its education programs. The Palm Beach County Cultural Council gave the center the first Muse Award for Arts Education in 2007, recognizing programs that have become a national model.
Several area arts organizations call the Kravis Center their home: the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Miami City Ballet, Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, and Young Singers of the Palm Beaches.
One flagship initiative is the Dream Awards. It debuted on June 3, 2018, in Dreyfoos Hall. Open to all public and private schools in Palm Beach County, the program selects two nominees (one male, one female) from regional competitions to advance to the national Jimmy Awards in New York City. The event also honors a high school dramatic educator for inspiring their students.
The De George Academy for Performing Arts opened in 2012. It's designed for underserved students in Palm Beach County who want to pursue performing arts. Students in grades 3-8 from Title I elementary and middle schools get year-round instruction in dance, theater, and vocal performance, along with audition coaching and access to special workshops and performances.
The Disney Musicals in Schools program launched in 2017-2018. Four Title I elementary schools in Palm Beach County participated at no cost in a 17-week musical theater residency. Teaching artists trained by the Kravis Center and Disney Theatrical Group led the program, providing guidance, performance rights, and education materials.
Working with the Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County, the School District of Palm Beach County, and the Palm Beach County Music Teachers Association, the Spotlight on Young Musicians program has given students stage time for nearly 30 years. Almost 40,000 students have performed in Dreyfoos Hall since 1992. The annual event showcases emerging talent and highlights excellent music programs in area schools.
Resident Companies and Programming
Approximately 550 performances happen at the center each season, drawing nearly 500,000 visitors annually. Programming ranges from Broadway touring productions to classical music, opera, ballet, dance, jazz, world music, family shows, and film festivals.
The Kravis Center hosts the Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival, an annual event featuring international and domestic cinema across its various venues.
Several resident companies have made the Kravis Center their home. Miami City Ballet, Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and Young Singers of the Palm Beaches regularly perform here.
Community work extends beyond performances. The Pack to Give Back food drive reflects that commitment. Organized with the Palm Beach County Food Bank, the initiative has packed over 200,000 meals for Palm Beach County residents facing hunger.
On March 26, 2018, the West Palm Beach City Commission approved expansion plans, with completion targeted for summer 2020.
Legacy and Impact
The Kravis Center's reach goes far beyond its performance calendar. It opened doors for downtown redevelopment, including CityPlace and the Palm Beach County Convention Center, and helped transform Palm Beach County into Florida's Cultural Capital.
Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. was the driving force. Starting in the late 1970s, he led the effort that culminated in a debt-free 1992 opening of the $67 million center. Dreyfoos founded the Board of Directors and served there until his death in 2023.
Over the years, the Honorary Artistic Board has included world-class performers. Mikhail Baryshnikov, Peter Martins, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Watts, and Pinchas Zukerman have all been part of it.
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