HOOVER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

For several years there has been strong advocacy and community support for the development of a performing arts center for Hoover, Alabama. In 2021, city leadership began a new process for developing an arts center as a central component of the City’s identity and as a cultural home and destination for its residents and patrons from around the region. Performing Arts Planning, TheatreDNA, and Cost+Plus were selected to conduct a feasibility study for a potential new performing arts center. The scope of the study included community engagement, market analysis, economic impact, benchmarking, site analysis, space programing, costing, and a business and operations plan.

The findings from the study showed that there was significant market demand for a new performing arts center in Hoover who's mission would be to present world-class performing arts events for a diverse audience and incubate local artists and community organizations. The study recommended a 1,200-seat facility that would be built by, owned, and operated by the City of Hoover. Estimated operating costs and revenue were $3,004,534 and $2,370,408 respectively. Recommended financing models for this facility included a $25M endowment that could fund the net operating cost gap, allocating general funds for the annual operational expenses and staffing, and creating a "Friends of Hoover Arts Center" non-profit organization that can assist with philanthropic and grant fundraising.

TheatreDNA assisted in community engagement discovery sessions and overall project costing and led facility analysis, space programming, and performance equipment estimation.