After $70 million restoration, historic Robinson Center auditorium to reopen in Little Rock

The historic Robinson Center auditorium in Little Rock will reopen Thursday (Nov. 10) after a two-year, $70 million restoration, according to the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Expanded lobbies, restrooms, patron amenities and back-of-house features are among the improvements, as is a new conference center, grand ballroom, meeting rooms and 5,800 square feet of outdoor terrace overlooking the Arkansas River, according to press release from the visitors’ bureau, which owns the property.

Many elements of the structure have been modernized, making it LEED-certified and accessible to those with disabilities, and the performance hall now features new box seating and better acoustics and sight lines, according to the release. Backstage additions include all new electrical and mechanical systems, improved and enhanced staging and lighting systems and increased dressing and chorus room capacity.

Little Rock residents voted in 2013 to use an existing 2% advertising and promotion tax to fund the renovation of the 79-year-old building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Robinson Center was built in 1937 and opened two years later.

Notable performers who made appearances at the venue through the years include Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld and Bonnie Raitt, according to a website dedicated to the Robinson Center’s “Second Act” and run by the visitors’ bureau.

Gretchen Hall, president and CEO of the bureau, expressed satisfaction the restoration of the landmark was completed “on budget” and “on time.”

“When working on a construction project of this magnitude, with as many unknown variables regarding the structural integrity of a 76-year-old building, we are exceedingly grateful that we did not encounter significant unforeseen conditions, and very indebted to the team of architects, engineers and construction professionals that have worked on this project,” Hall said in the press release.

Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock and Ennead Architects of New York City designed the renovation and CDI/Hunt Joint Venture of Little Rock served as general contractor and construction manager.

“Robinson represents a unique design opportunity to restore and honor an iconic structure while reimagining public space and patron experience,” David Porter, principal at Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, said in the release.