In a celebration that showcased student brass musicians and tap dancers, the Colburn School of Performing Arts broke ground Friday, April 5, on a 100,000-square-foot campus expansion in downtown Los Angeles designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.
The new complex, the Colburn Center, will include a 1,000-seat concert hall, four professional-sized dance studios and a 100-seat studio theater. It will be located on Bunker Hill, adding to an already vibrant area of L.A. culture and arts, which boasts another Gehry-designed landmark — the famous Walt Disney Concert Hall.
“We’ve long held a dream of a larger performance venue for our (programs), because performing is really the culmination of the educational experience,” said Sel Kardan, president and CEO of the Colburn School. “It will give our students a much larger platform and space to experiment, to learn, to rehearse, to perform, but it’s also a space for the community.”
The Colburn School is home to about 2,000 students, ranging from toddlers to high school age. The youngest students strengthen motor skills through “movement to music” classes, while the older students study a variety of performing arts disciplines, such as string instruments and drama.
Colburn Center is supposed to reach substantial completion in early 2027, and the school hopes to hold performances in the new spaces during the 2027-28 school year, according to Kardan. He said the complex will be “a vibrant space, from morning to night.”
Commenting on Gehry’s design for the complex, Kardan said, “You can see the idea of interaction between the performers and audience members, and there are some very unique features.”
The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Colburn School President and CEO, Sel Kardan speaks to guests during the groundbreaking ceremony. The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Colburn School President and CEO, Sel Kardan speaks to the audience during the groundbreaking ceremony. The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Carol Colburn Grigor, Life Chairman Emeritus, Colburn School Board of Trustees, speaks to the audience during the groundbreaking ceremony. The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Colburn Conservatory Pep Band conducted by Aleksandra Melaniuk performs during the groundbreaking ceremony. The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Andrew Millstein, Chairman, Colburn School Board of Trustees, speaks to the audience during the groundbreaking ceremony. The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Jerry Kohl, Philanthropist, speaks to the audience during the groundbreaking ceremony. The Colburn School, an internationally acclaimed institute for music and dance education and performance, broke ground on the transformational 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by Frank Gehry on Friday, April 5, 2024. The new building, known as the Colburn Center, will be located adjacent to Colburn’s Grand Avenue campus in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Grand, a Frank Gehry-designed, $1 billion mixed-use development in downtown Los Angeles, will include 176,000 square feet of retail and a 20-story, 309-room hotel with 12,000 square feet of meeting rooms and ballrooms. Another 27,000 square feet will accommodate restaurants, lounges and other amenities. (Photo courtesy of The Grand)
A view from the stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles under acoustical spheres designed by Frank Gehry in 2003. (Photo by Robert Millard)
The new Children’s Institute Watts Campus designed by Frank Gehry. (Courtesy of Children’s Institute)
The Seattle Monorail emerges from the tunnel through the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Popular Culture. (Photo by David Allen)
Those features include a seating structure that will be suspended away from the walls, called a “floating balcony,” and cloud-like sculptures rising up to the ceiling in the concert hall.
The project will also include rooftop gardens, an outdoor plaza and access to nearby public transit stations. Colburn Center will face the Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill transit station instead of Grand Avenue, encouraging the public to use Metro.
Colburn officials said roughly $315 million toward the school’s $400 million fundraising effort has been secured for the project, led by a gift from Pasadena philanthropists Terri and Jerry Kohl, whose wealth comes from the popular jewelry and accessory business Brighton Collectibles. Jerry Kohl founded the company, headquartered in the City of Industry, in 1991.
The Kohls’ names will adorn the 1,000-seat concert hall in the expansion.
Kardan said the groundbreaking was an exciting step toward the project’s completion.
“It was a fantastic event filled with so many friends and so many leaders of L.A.’s cultural institutions,” Kardan said. “So, very much not only did it feel like a celebration of this new building, but a celebration of the arts and arts education in Los Angeles.”
In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “This is an exciting contribution to the cultural and civic life of downtown Los Angeles. Colburn has shown a commitment to making education accessible to youth of all ages at their school. With projects like this and Colburn’s commitment, Grand Avenue will continue to grow into an energetic cultural district while also creating more opportunities to collaborate with renowned local and touring artists.”
