The Smith Center
From its very beginning, The Smith Center was envisioned as a world-class performing arts center that would develop and present the best and brightest in a broad range of first-rate programming and unite the residents of our community.
This cultural complex enables Southern Nevada to take its place on an international stage, celebrating artistic excellence, education and culture from around the world.
By the Numbers
- $150 million: Donald W. Reynolds Foundation donation
- 32: Months to build The Smith Center
- 1.5 million: Man-hours it will take to build
- 2,600+: Construction workers building The Smith Center
- 4,000: Tons of structural steel
- 2,458: Tons of Indiana limestone
- 29,500 lbs: Weight of bells in the Carillon tower
- 170 feet: Height of Carillon tower
- 47: Bells in the Carillon tower
- 23: Boxes on the box tier in Reynolds Hall
- 25+: Architects, engineers, designers and consultants
- 373: Windows in the large hall building
- 2012: The Smith Center opening
From its very beginning, The Smith Center was envisioned as a world-class performing arts center that would develop and present the best and brightest in a broad range of first-rate programming and unite the residents of our community.
This cultural complex will enable Southern Nevada to take its place on an international stage, celebrating artistic excellence, education and culture from around the world.
The ambition to create one of the nation's leading performing art centers led The Smith Center's design team to visit venues across North America and Europe in 2007, where they studied some of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls and performance venues. After they toured venues including Palais Garnier in Paris, the Musikverein in Vienna and La Scala in Milan, they came together to design The Smith Center.
For more than a decade The Smith Center's board of directors have been working on this project. The current board is comprised of Chairman Donald D. Snyder, Vice Chairman Dr. Keith Boman, Secretary Kim Sinatra, Treasurer Charles Atwood, Assistant Secretary Gary Jacobs, Senator Richard Bryan, Alan Feldman, Robert Forbuss, Nancy Houssels, Scott MacTaggart, Richard Plaster, Jacqulyn Shropshire, Roger Thomas, Sig Rogich, Jonathan Halkyard, Rose McKinney-James, Diana Bennett, Marilyn Burrows and Cedric Crear. President and CEO Myron G. Martin has an extensive background in production and performing arts center management.
The Smith Center is funded by a public-private partnership.
Public Sector: The city of Las Vegas will provide land, infrastructure, environmental clean-up, and parking. The city of Las Vegas, Clark County and State Legislature collaborated on a car rental fee that resulted in a bond of $105 million. The City commitment totals $170 million.
Private Sector: In 2005, The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation with a landmark gift of $50 million in honor of their chairman, Fred W. Smith, and his wife, Mary, led our private funding campaign. Since then, the Reynolds Foundation has continued their generosity, pledging an additional $100 million grant to help complete the campus. This gift is the largest philanthropic donation in state history, and combinedwith their initial contribution, makes it the second largest donation to the performing arts in the United States.
We continue to receive generous donations from a variety of companies, organizations, and private citizens.
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