Design for new performing arts center should be as bold as Century II

Famed architect and city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham once said, “[m]ake no little plans; they have no magic to stir the blood and probably themselves will not be realized . . . . Remember that our children and our grandchildren are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.”

While Burnham has long since passed, his vision remains in the hearts and sight lines of many cities throughout the world. And his adherence to a bold vision has relevance for Wichita today, especially as our community engages with the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan and the future of the east bank of the Arkansas River.

In 1992, I was one member of a board of trustees which laid the foundational vision and master plan for Exploration Place. Following the words of Burnham, we sought out internationally acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie and partnered with our talented local architects at SJCF Architecture. Funded through a public/private partnership, Exploration Place now stands as a beacon of design, inclusivity and vision for our community.

Though now retired, I view the future of our community through the lens of Wichita’s young people. We have a tremendous opportunity and obligation to keep our community’s youth in the city my wife and I have grown to love. As we’ve learned from the Wichita Community Foundation’s Focus Forward campaign (which brought James Chung back to Wichita for an economic reality check) and Project Wichita, we ignore the voice of the future generations to our peril.

At the heart of it, the path to growth of Wichita requires the retention and recruitment of talented people — and from the start they need to “feel” the livability of Wichita through what they perceive: excellence and pride.

With that challenge in view, the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan coalition has embarked on a visionary, noble and timely process to bring to life a bold vision for the east bank of our Arkansas River. This effort is about the future of the community, not just for the next five, but for the next 50 years.

As I look at the scenarios presented to the community with the foregoing in mind, one thing stands out. The performing arts building lends itself to being a dramatic beacon, with iconic and bold design visible both in day and night. Do not skimp on design. While it has served our community well over the past 50 years, I believe it is time to say goodbye to Century II and to honor its spirit of innovation with something that looks to the future. Above all, do this right. And through excellence in the design and master planning throughout instill a sense of pride among all the people of Wichita.

Wichita, let’s make no little plans.

This story was originally published December 22, 2019 at 4:33 AM.