Norton Center for the Arts

Date Built: 1973, renovated in 1994

Named For: Jane Morton Norton

Architect: William Wesley Peters, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Cost: $5,338,600

Current Use: contains Newlin Hall, the Norton Center box office, exhibition and meeting space, Weisiger Theatre, and Grant Hall (classrooms, studios, and faculty offices for the departments of dramatic arts and music)

The Regional Arts Center opened on September 22, 1973, with a performance of Verdi's Otello by the Kentucky Opera Association. In 1982 the Center was renamed the Norton Center for the Arts in honor of Jane Morton Norton, former Centre trustee and patron of the arts. The 85,000 square-foot complex was designed by architect William Wesley Peters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The Center hosts a performing arts series and serves as a focal point for the College's academic programs in dramatic arts and music. The Center includes two theaters: Newlin Hall, a 1,500-seat concert hall, and Weisiger Theatre, a 360-seat theater in the round. The Grand Foyer serves as an exhibition space for the college.