 "Photo: Emily Kinsolving")
Rain may have stifled the activities outside, but the hallways and auditoriums of the Long Center for Performing Arts were finally alive again Tuesday night during a sneak peek for the public after a two-and-a-half year hiatus.
The activities began at 6 p.m. with guided tours and true to Austin performances, said Carol Hering, a volunteer for the center.
"The Sneak Peek is inviting the city of Austin to see the arts again," Hering said. "The ballet, symphony and lyric opera will all be opening up again soon. Probably 1,000 people will show up over the weekend."
The Long Center is a reconstruction of the former Palmer Auditorium building.
"The new center is an adaptive reuse of the former auditorium," said Tammie Ward, program director for the center. "About 97 percent of Palmer was recycled and reused throughout the city; 67 percent of it was actually used in this building."
After years of use, the acoustics were not up to par with more top-of-the-line performing centers, and Palmer center soon became obsolete, Hering said.
Aside from an econmonic impact, the center hopes to encourage cultural learning and downtown beauty, said Jack Bunning, director of marketing and development for the center.
"We want this to be a cultural place of daily congregation," Bunning said. "This is all a part of rejuvenating the downtown area."
The Sneak Peek activities are continuing throughout the weekend.
"It's going to be a weekend of backstage, behind-the-scenes tours, kid zones and performances," Ward said. "There's going to be something for everyone. The entire weekend's events are free."
The Long Center will kick off it's grand opening with a series of galas March 29 through 30.
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