Design and Artwork
The Smith Center Board wanted a timeless and elegant design, selecting architect David M. Schwarz to design the center, using inspiration from the Hoover Dam's Art Deco style as a major and lasting historical influence in the Las Vegas area. The building is a pastiche of Bertam Goodhue's 1922 design for the Nebraska State Capitol at Lincoln and John & Donald Parkinson's 1929 Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles. White Indiana limestone for the facade (as at Lincoln), as well as numerous detail elements based on the Hoover Dam and 1920's motifs feature throughout the facility, including a winged sculpture in the Center lobby modeled after the dam's famous Winged Figures of the Republic statues. A prominent flower theme was also added in select places since Mary Smith's favorite flower is the Blue Iris. In addition, artwork by local artists from the Las Vegas Art Museum have been loaned to the center to be displayed.
A large concert hall and two smaller theaters were designed as the main venues. At the corner is a 17-story tower featuring 47 bells and providing a new focal point for the downtown skyline, as well as the Center. Audio design firm Akustiks worked with Schwarz to ensure optimum sound quality in all the venues, installing high tech sound enhancing features like retractable drapery and auto closing doors to reflect or absorb sounds based on the performance type. The main hall is also double soundproofed against outside noises. An outdoor park plaza was also built, serving as an additional outdoor concert venue if needed. It features an artwork by Tim Bavington, representing Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.”
Read more about this topic: Smith Center For The Performing Arts
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