The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science opened in 1999 and houses an art gallery, concert hall, large-format theater, and

science museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in ...

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Its building, the former Washington High School, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

The Pavilion was a result of a renovation of the former building of Washington High School which was eventually moved to the northeast side of the city. The building is of Neoclassical styling and is architecturally interesting. It was designed by Sioux Falls architect Joseph Schwartz. The building's facade is created from large blocks of Sioux Quartzite, a pinkish

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...

native to the area and seen at the falls of the

Big Sioux River The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...

. A small portion of the north wing is constructed of black rock which was believed to be black quartzite but is in fact corson diabase, which is hardened liquid

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. With

The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science contains the Kirby Science Discovery Center, a massive 3 floor, regional, hands-on science experience. The Pavilion also houses two performing arts centers, which play host to several

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions,

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s, dance and concert productions. The South Dakota Symphony's home also hosts dance groups as well as smaller theater and choral events. The Visual Arts Center, hosts seven galleries of changing exhibits, and the Egger gallery which hosts the Northern Plains Tribal Art collection. The VAC hosts a variety local, regional and nationwide exhibitions, as well as Blockbuster exhibitions like Rodin, Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams and Toulouse-Lautrec. There are also many opportunities to participate in public programs like movies, panel discussions, art workshops, major events, etc. The VAC is free on Tuesdays, Saturday Mornings and the evenings of the First Friday of every month; otherwise there is a small fee. The Wells Fargo Cinedome is a multiformat 60 ft dome

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

which plays several different films per year. Virtually every space within the Pavilion is available for rent for business functions, weddings, receptions and conventions.

References

External links

*
Pavilion website
1999 establishments in South Dakota Science museums in South Dakota Art museums and galleries in South Dakota Arts centers in South Dakota Museums in Minnehaha County, South Dakota Tourist attractions in Sioux Falls, South Dakota National Register of Historic Places in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Buildings and structures completed in 1908 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in South Dakota {{SouthDakota-NRHP-stub

History

Contents

References

External links