Wisconsin Builder | City Lights | The Art of Redevelopment

THE ART OF REDEVELOPMENT

Madison's Overture Center sparks downtown revival

Project expected to draw people back to city's center

By Jeremy Harrell
Daily Reporter Staff

Larry Thomas, senior project manager with J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison, shows off the $100 million Overture Center for the Arts project in downtown Madison to a group of mayors from around the country. During a recent conference of national mayors, Madison city leaders used the Overture project, which Findorff is building, as an example of a construction job spurring downtown economic development.

Photo by Jeremy Harrell

The world-class design of the $100 million Overture Center for the Arts in Madison and the extraordinary steps the project's builder is taking to make the structure come to life are common knowledge.

But the arts complex is also a cornerstone in Madison's plan to revitalize the city's downtown commercial district. Overture Foundation President George Austin called the project a "linchpin" in the regional economy, the kind of building project that will galvanize the community and lure tourists to the city.

"Large civic projects can rebuild a new public tradition in downtown Madison," Austin said.

And he should know, having overseen the construction of Monona Terrace when he was the director of Madison's planning department. As with Monona Terrace, the Overture project becomes a focal point for the city, an architectural landmark that doubles as a spur for economic development.

"Monumental structures have monumental appeal," Austin said. "They attract a critical mass of customers back to the economic center."

Mark Olinger, the director of Madison's planning department, said that 30 years ago, city planners viewed the large department stores on State Street as the foundation for the downtown economy. But in the intervening years, the stores closed, and city planners had to rethink their options.

"It became clear that if we wanted to maintain the vitality of downtown Madison, we had to rethink how we would make downtown vital," Olinger said.

Upward with the arts

Madison developed a plan more than 10 years ago that made the arts a centerpiece in the downtown economy. The city already owned and operated the Civic Center, and it selectively bought some nearby buildings in expectation that, one day, the city would revamp the facility, Olinger said.

Then local businessman and philanthropist Jerry Frautschi stepped in and offered $100 million to build a new arts complex on the Civic Center site. His gift became the Overture project, and Olinger said the proposal fit the downtown plan like a glove-it reused the existing site, and it more than satisfied a need expressed by the community, merchants and local arts groups.

"It's a building that meets the city on all four sides," he said.

Located in the heart of the State Street commercial district, the Overture Center (where the cranes are) will have an immediate impact on the city's economy, project leaders say. By satisfying both the needs of local arts groups and city plans for downtown revitalization, the Overture Center is a building that meets the city "on all four sides," said Mark Olinger, director of Madison's planning department.

Photo by Jeremy Harrell

Architect Cesar Pelli's design for Overture continues the theme by "creating spaces people want to be in," Austin said. Its open, airy construction, relying heavily on glass to lend a sense of transparency, will draw pedestrians and patrons to the building and, by extension, to the shops and stores that sit nearby, he said.

Although the arts might not seem like a keystone for economic development, art lovers are exactly the kind of tourists and consumers downtowns want, said Deb Archer, president of the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau. They shop more, they stay longer and they generate more revenue than sports fans, she said.

"Sports are wonderful, but arts have a tremendous impact," Archer said.

Overture's general contractor and construction manager, J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Madison, also built Monona Terrace. The projects are important to the company not just because they're big and challenging, but also because they further stitch Findorff into the city fabric, said Larry Thomas, senior project manager overseeing the Overture job.

"We're honored to be a part of it," he said. "We're involved in the community as a company and on an individual basis."

The final proof of Overture's role in the city's revitalization came last month when mayors from around the country descended on Madison for an annual conference. When it came time to show off the city's economic development initiatives, Madison Mayor Sue Bauman joined the project team, donned a hardhat and took the civic leaders on a tour of the Overture construction site.

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