Last week, the Ronald O. Perelman Center for the Performing Arts, which is currently under construction at the World Trade Center site, was awarded an $89 million grant by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The long-awaited funding brought the project 82 percent of the way toward meeting its total construction costs.

“We are grateful to the LMDC for their support to help realize the dream of creating a performing arts center in Lower Manhattan that will serve the local community, New Yorkers from all five boroughs, New Jersey residents, and visitors from around the nation and the world,” said Maggie Boepple, President of the Perelman Center.

Designed by New York–based firm REX Architecture, the 90,000-square-foot, 138-foot-tall cube-like structure will hold three open and flexible performance spaces that can fit up to 1,200 people. Its bold exterior, which is clad in marble on all four sides, will stand out from the sea of skyscrapers that surround it. The site will also hold various public meeting spaces and an open plaza. At night, the exterior facade will be illuminated with a warm glow.

Since construction commenced in June 2017, the main building’s steel skeleton has risen at a relatively monotonous pace, as the majority of construction has taken place below street level at the soon-to-be Vehicle Security Center. Its main entrance is situated beneath the Financial District’s Liberty Park. As of now, an intricate web of concrete pours and steel beams supports the underground garage floors that compose the lower section of the site.

Now that funding has been received, the Performing Arts Center should top out by the end of next year and is scheduled to be fully completed in 2021.