Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center
The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) constitutes a unique venue for theater, dance, music, chamber opera, film, and media. It offers artists new kinds of theatrical design possibilities and new opportunities to create innovative multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work. Located at the World Trade Center, PAC NYC celebrates life and humanity, redefining Lower Manhattan as a cultural destination and serving as a living testament to the power of the arts to inspire and unite. A home for creativity, PAC NYC produces and presents all forms of performance.
Elected mayor of New York City just weeks after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Mike Bloomberg led the work of rebuilding the World Trade Center site and reviving Lower Manhattan. The World Trade Center master plan, approved in 2003, designated a site for a performing arts center. In 2006, Mike began his chairmanship of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and in 2020 became chair of PAC NYC. The opening of the performing arts center in September 2023 is integral to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and the continued growth and vitality of Lower Manhattan.
Flexible Design
The flexible design of PAC NYC’s three theater spaces provides endless possibilities for live performance, accommodating audiences ranging from 99 to 950. The 138-foot-tall, cubed-shaped building, designed by the architecture firm REX, is clad in translucent, book-matched marble, which admits light while creating a reflective exterior and emits a warm, amber glow after dark. The lobby and restaurant interiors are designed by David Rockwell of Rockwell Group.
Video
Mechanics of the Building
The building’s three floors incorporate public spaces, a restaurant from chef Marcus Samuelsson, and a lobby featuring free public programming. The building offers artists extraordinary flexibility, with movable walls allowing for 11 different theater configurations, creating a radically different environment for each performance. Equipped with digital technology, the performance spaces can connect virtually to audiences around the world.
Top photo: Views of the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) located at the World Trade Center, February 2022.