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Appleton's PAC Gets A New Glow
by Bob
Lowe
April 23, 2004
Since its opening nearly two years ago, the
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in downtown Appleton has
played host to many marquee names, including Mikhail Gorbachev,
Michael Feldman, Lorie Line, Tony Bennett, David Copperfield
and a fella by the name of George W. Bush, whom some consider
to be the most powerful person on the planet.
But up until April 13, prominent names like
these have not appeared on a marquee anywhere near the PAC.
That’s because it never had one. On that date, the PAC
unveiled its new marquee adding a new glow of excitement to
downtown Appleton. You can’t miss it as you drive along
College Avenue near Division Street. Post-Crescent managing
editor Dan Flannery stated in a recent column that the PAC
sign “is bright enough to shred your corneas and melt
your car’s tires.”
The completion of the marquee adds a finishing
touch many visitors to the Center have felt was missing and
it opens the door to promoting upcoming events to a much wider
audience.
“A focal point and sort of architectural
symbol of most performing arts centers becomes the marquee,”
said Susan Stockton, president of the Fox Cities Performing
Arts Center. “It is the door and invitation to the community
to come and see what is inside. I am thrilled that we were
able to build a marquee that captures the spirit, excitement
and look of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in such
a vital way.”
The marquee was constructed through the joint
efforts of Zeidler Grinnell Partnership, who were the architects
of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, The Boldt Company,
the PAC’s primary contractor, Bassett Mechanical, Town
and Country Electric and AutoComm, Inc.
The structure has a similar feel of steel
and concrete working together to create lines and curves that
convey the artistic and energetic feelings also reflected
in the structure of the P.A.C. itself. “The elliptical
shape and stainless steel finish of the sign reflect the appearance
of the very focal large lobby skylight,” said Paul E.
Coenen, vice president of Northern Operations for Oscar J.
Boldt Construction.
The marquee screen itself faces both east
and west bound traffic on College Avenue and is a high-tech
four-color LED display. The tightness of the pixel configuration
creates a photo-quality image at a very close proximity. “The
displays used at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center are
like no other displays in the area,” said Todd Rockweit,
vice president, AutoComm, Inc. “They will truly be great
addition to an already fantastic place.”
The 4-by-8-foot structure is nearly 18 feet tall, and weighs
4,700 pounds, with a base that weighs 9,000 pounds. The new
marquee will be vital in updating passers by about the shows
coming to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center as well as
time and temperature updates. “I believe that the addition
of this high-tech marquee to College Avenue and downtown Appleton
gives the area a feel of excitement and visitors a sense that
they have just arrived in a special place,” said Mayor
Timothy Hanna. The lights on this new downtown landmark were
first turned on by cast members of the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp
Broadway musical, “Movin’ Out,” which ran
for one week at the PAC earlier this month.
***
If you didn’t have the foresight to purchase tickets
for The Temptations performance with the Fox Valley Symphony
at 7 p.m. Sunday April 25 at the Fox Cities Performance Arts
Center in downtown Appleton, you are out of luck. The show
has been sold out for some time, according to Federica Doeringer,
interim executive director for the FVS. There is a waiting
list. Call (920) 730-3760 for more details.
***
The proposed $50 million Mahana Water Park deal for the Fox
Valley Greyhound Park at U.S. 41 and State 55 in Kaukauna
has collapsed. The developer of the project, Prestige Realty,
Green Bay, failed to meet the deadline for financing.
Kaukauna
Mayor John Lambie is pursuing other developers who are interested
in the project.
***
The Neenah Common Council this week agreed to provide $1.5
million in city funds for North Riverwalk Place, a 7-story28-unit
condominium complex to be built along the Fox River. The council
also approved a plan for the $10 million Bridgewood Hotel
and Conference Center that will overlook the Bridgewood Golf
Course in Neenah’s central city.
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