Burnsville, Minnesota
The Ames Performing Arts Center Feasibility Study
The City of Burnsville, Minnesota, engaged Hunden Partners to complete a feasibility study centered on a proposed performing arts center, now called the Ames Center. On tap was the proposed development of a mixed-use district planned to include, in addition to the arts center, a hotel, restaurants, retail, and parking. Hunden Partners’ study provided in-depth, third-party analysis and recommendations to inform decision-making about potential public financial participation.
Situation
Hunden Partners worked with the City of Burnsville, a Minneapolis suburb, to complete a feasibility study for the development of the Burnsville Performing Arts Center (now called the Ames Center) within the Heart of the City Development, a mixed-use, 52-acre district. The Performing Arts Center site was planned to include hotel, retail, restaurant uses, and parking. The study provided the City Council with an in-depth, third-party recommendation to support informed decision-making regarding potential public financial participation in the Project.
Approach
A key element of the study included an analysis of the market’s capacity to support a performing arts facility relative to other venues in the region. Another important element was an assessment of alternative design and programming scenarios for a performing arts center in Burnsville, and projections of operating revenues and expenses over a ten-year period. The study also featured a cost analysis prepared in collaboration with Zeidler Partnership.
Impact
The resulting facility, the Ames Center, opened in January 2009 at a construction cost of approximately $20 million. Located within Burnsville’s 52-acre Heart of the City mixed-use district, the facility features two theaters, including a 1,014-seat main proscenium theater and a 150-seat black box theater, as well as a 2,000-square-foot art gallery, flexible meeting and event spaces, and banquet and reception areas. Overlooking Nicollet Commons Park and the Minnesota River Valley, the Ames Center serves as a regional cultural hub, hosting local performances, community events, and national touring artists, while also providing space for conferences, weddings, and special events.
