What's Happening With The Perelman Center?

For those of you who are unfamiliar, The Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center is the newest addition to the World Trade Center complex. Developed by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the center is set to become a state-of-the-art venue for a wide variety of music and theater performances.

When we last visited the project in December, Sciame Construction had fully installed the striking marble facade above the base, and the build looked to be nearing completion. However, when we recently visited again (4-months later), we found it interesting that there seemed to be no further progress on the exterior, with significantly fewer workers on the site. So why is this and what has the project team been up to? 

Well behind the scenes, the build is likely at a stage where the interior assembly has to be prioritized from a logistical standpoint. After all, REX, and Davis Brody Bond designed The Perelman as a highly specialized facility, for a very specific purpose (to showcase boutique performances of nearly any size).

As a result, the interior will have flexible walls, allowing for up to 11 interior configurations, and that means almost everything will have to be custom-made. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to finish the base of the structure until all of the large interior pieces have been delivered through the unfinished (and therefore larger) entry points.

So rest assured, with a lot happening behind closed doors, the project is moving ahead on schedule and the completed building is sure to wow event crowds relatively soon. Construction is expected to finish in 2023, and when work resumes on the exterior, we'll know that time is getting close.

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