Renowned architect Cesar Pelli of New Haven, Conn., designed the Performing Arts Center as well as the adjacent Bank of America Corporate Center and Founders Hall. The Performing Arts Center opened in November 1992 after a three-year construction effort. The Centers name honors the contributions of the people of the State of North Carolina as well as the generosity of the Blumenthal Foundation, the largest private donor to the capital campaign.
The Performing Arts Center has three performance spaces: the 2,100-seat Belk Theater; the 434-seat Booth Playhouse, and the black-box Studio Theater which can seat 150.
In the last ten years, more than 4 million people have come to the Performing Arts Center to be entertained, educated, and enriched through diverse programs and performances by world-class artists.