The Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts (JCPA) (originally the Civic Auditorium and previously known as the Times Union Center) is a performing arts center located in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. Situated along the Riverbank, the venue is known as the

First Coast Florida's First Coast, or simply the First Coast, is a region of the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida. The First Coast refers to the same general area as the directional region of Northeast Florida. It roughly ...

’s "premiere riverfront entertainment facility". Originally opening in 1962, the facility was renovated beginning in 1995 until 1997; with a grand re-opening on February 8, 1997. The center consists of three venues: a theatre; concert hall and recital hall. It is home to the

Jacksonville Symphony The Jacksonville Symphony is an orchestra based in Jacksonville, Florida. Concert hall As one of a handful of American orchestras with its own dedicated concert hall, the Jacksonville Symphony performs the majority of its programs in the Robe ...

Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra The Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras, or JSYO, is a youth orchestra based in Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List o ...

, and the FSCJ Artist Series.

History

Commissioned in 1955, the City of Jacksonville approved a new civic auditorium and a municipal coliseum, to help brighten the scenery around the riverfront. In 1957, the site was purchased from the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

. At the same time, Mayor W. Haydon Burns successfully lobbied the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

to move its headquarters from North Carolina to Jacksonville. Thus, construction began on the auditorium and the Atlantic Coastline Building (now CSX Building) both began in 1957. On December 7, 1957, the Seaboard Docks were demolished to make way for the forthcoming auditorium. The site was prepared via bulk heading the shoreline of the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

. This involved walling out the shoreline and adding fill dirt. The original site of the municipal coliseum (now where the

Jacksonville Landing The Jacksonville Landing (informally The Landing) was a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, at the intersection of Independent Drive and Laura Street, along the Jacksonville Riverwalk.Florida Theatre The Florida Theatre is a historic American movie theater located in Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in April 1927, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1982. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter plac ...

. The civic auditorium consisted of the main auditorium, "Exhibition Hall" and the "Little Theater". By the 1990s, the auditorium developed a bad reputation amongst music acts. Like the coliseum, the venue was known for its poor acoustics. This caused many concerts to be moved to

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

or Gainesville. In 1993, Mayor

Ed Austin T. Edward "Ed" Austin Jr. (July 15, 1926 – April 23, 2011) was an American politician and attorney. He served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1991 to 1995. He also served as the first Public Defender for Florida's Fourth Judicial Circ ...

proposed the River City Renaissance Plan. A portion of the $235 million bond was allocated to the renovation of the facility and the construction of a new convention center, replacing the underused Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (although this did not come to fruition). Construction began in 1995. It was headed by

KBJ Architects KBJ Architects, Inc. (KBJ) is an American architectural firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm designed 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings and "created Jacksonville's modern skyline", according to ''The Florida Times-Union'' newspaper.Ker ...

, Rothman, Rothman & Heineman,

Kirkegaard Associates Kirkegaard Associates is an American acoustics design firm founded by Lawrence Kirkegaard, based in Chicago, Illinois, with an office in Denver, Colorado. The company is headed by President/Owner Joseph W A Myers and employs 12 professionals in arch ...

and Jones & Phillips Associates, Inc. The original auditorium was gutted and divided into three facilities. In 1994, local newspaper, ''

The Florida Times-Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

'', purchased naming rights for $3 million. The renovated facility also included a lounge, art gallery and lobby. The lobby areas included marble column (dating back to 1913) from the

Barnett National Bank Building The Barnett (originally known as the Barnett National Bank Building) is a skyscraper in Downtown Jacksonville, the downtown area of Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, at the southwest corner of Adams and Laura Street, Laura streets. His ...

and art from the

Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, also known as MOCA Jacksonville, is a contemporary art museum in Jacksonville, Florida, funded and operated as a "cultural institute" of the University of North Florida. One of the largest contemporary ...

. The center reopened on February 8, 1997, with a performance by the FSCJ Artist Series. In January 2022, the city-owned concert hall would drop the Times-Union name and would be known as the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts until they secured a new naming sponsor.

Venues

Moran Theater

The Jim & Jan Moran Theater is a theatre and main performance venue of the center. The theater was specifically designed for theatrical and musical performances. All genres from rock to gospel have performed at the theater. Since 2006, the Jim & Jan Moran Theatre has been the home of ''Extraganza'', an annual talent showcase by the students of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The theater replaced the main auditorium and can seat nearly 3,000.

Jacoby Symphony Hall

The Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall (formerly known as the Robert E. Jacoby Theater) is a concert hall primarily used for orchestral performances. The hall is modeled after the

Wiener Musikverein The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in Vienna, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Great ...

in Vienna, Austria. It is designed in a shoebox shape, similar to many European venues. It is known as a pure concert hall, providing an intimate setting with no stage curtains, orchestra pit, fly space or backstage wings. It houses the Bryan Concert organ, which is a rebuilt Casavant pipe organ. It is the home to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra. Seating over 1,700 guests, it also used as an intimate concert venue. It replaced the Exhibition Hall.

Terry Theater

The C. Herman & Mary Virginia Terry Theater is a recital hall primary used for poetry readings, dance recitals and comedy shows. The venue seats over 600 guests. It replaced the Little Theater.

References