An initial feasibility study has been completed looking at a proposal to build a new performing arts center in Thornton, Colorado.
The possibilities of such a facility have intrigued Thornton officials for years, with the study coming just weeks after work was launched on the construction of a 40,000 square-foot community center in the city.
The feasibility study looked at building a performing arts center with a 1,500-seat capacity theater and both meeting rooms and classrooms. A second option explored the benefits of a smaller 500-seat theater building that would feature a greater variety of amenities, such as studios and art galleries.
Both options, according to the study, which partly relied on the input of focus groups conducted earlier this spring, would include a lobby large enough to hold banquet-type events.
The consultant’s study was put together by a group called Theater Projects, a firm specializing in venue planning and design services, with offices in Denver; along with Keen Independent Research, which is headquartered in Phoenix.
Still to be explored: whether the center will be built as a public-private partnership and be part of a larger entertainment district that might include restaurants and bars.
While the study bluntly raised questions regarding the viability of a performing arts center in the vicinity of other popular theaters in nearby Arvada, Denver, and Broomfield, it did also reference Thornton’s ongoing population growth.
The most recent U.S. Census pegs Thornton’s population at just under 142,000, with the study itself forecasting that the city’s population will easily surpass the 210,00 mark in the next 30 years.
And the more residents in a given city, the thinking goes, the more likely the need for a performing arts center.
A further look at project costs and funding options is expected to be explored before the proposal is finally taken up by the Thornton City Council.
By Garry Boulard
