Plans began in earnest in 1995. In 2000, an architect was chosen. In 2002, the design was announced. In 2004, ground is to be broken. And in 2007, Kansas Citians will be able to enjoy the symphony, the theater, the opera and more under a spectacular glass roof in a showcase facility unlike anything else in the Midwest--if not beyond.

The new Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center will change more than the skyline near downtown. Sitting atop a hillside between 16th and 17th, east of Broadway and just south of Bartle Hall, the center's impact should be substantial: we will have a "world class" facility to not only showcase the arts, but to challenge them, in the words of Ken Dworak, project manager and president of Land Capital Corp.

"This will be at least one of the top 10" performing arts centers in the United States, Dworak says. "We've visited at least 20 facilities around the country, and very few will even be comparable."

That's because of the initial vision of Muriel McBrien Kauffman, and the continuation of that dream by her daughter, Julia Irene Kauffman, president of the center's board and chair of her mother's foundation. The center's plans call for a 2,200-seat theater/opera house and 1,800-seat orchestra hall along with parking for 2,100 cars on the 17-plus acres.

Julia Kauffman and the board have put together a remarkable team. Besides Dworak, who is also on the board, the team includes architect Moshe Safdie, whose creative ability to mesh practicality and imagination has been illustrated by previous works such as the 1967 Habitat for the Montreal Olympics, the National Gallery of Canada and Wichita's new Exploration Place, a science center.

Another member is BNIM Architects Inc., collabor-ating with Safdie's firm on design and construction. BNIM was selected because of its forward-looking approach and past projects, which include Science City, Bartle Hall and the renovation of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Theater Projects Consultants from Connecticut, long known as one of the leading interior space designers for theaters, was chosen because of its work in Philadelphia, Seattle, the new opera house in Dallas and the Academy Awards Theatre in Los Angeles. Artec Consulting is a 40-year-old international acoustics and theater design consulting firm. Its recent projects include The Meyerson Hall in Dallas and Symphony Hall in Birmingham, England, both of which are world-renowned for their beauty and acoustical quality. The international engineering firm Arup, with seven U.S. locations, and probably another 100 contractors, are also involved in creating the beautiful new structure.

Dworak says all has gone remarkably well and that the project is certainly on the fast track to completion. He stresses the benefits for Kansas Citians--and their children--from such a center. "This is a cultural institution for the city that will be available to everyone," he says. "Everyone will feel welcome here."

He also points out that such new centers typically increase attendance--numbers sustained by the additional enjoyment attained through state-of-the- art acoustics, a comfortable seat and all the amenities one should expect in a world class facility. That means entertainers who have skipped Kansas City now will be more likely to perform here before happier audiences. And as a link between Crown Center and downtown, it should help revitalize the city's core.

The "silent" capital campaign for the final $150 million still needed for the $306 million project is underway, says Julia Kauffman who hopes everyone in Kansas City will become involved. Already, she says, "The community has been fantastically encouraging. Everywhere I go, I hear people say, ‘We need this, we want this, we'll help build this.'"

It is fitting that the city's enthusiasm dovetails her own: "This is a gift for the city--the entire city. It will make a difference in people's lives, especially those who've not participated in the arts before. We're building a vision."