Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), opened in September 2023, is the cultural keystone and final public element in the master plan for the World Trade Center (WTC) site. A producing house for music, theater, dance, chamber opera, film, and special events, PAC NYC pioneers new forms of theatrical adaptability to amplify the passion of its artists, foster dynamic connections between performers and audiences, and surprise and welcome patrons with a new arrival and viewing experience upon each visit. Its three venues can be combined into 10 proportions and transformed into more than 60 stage-audience configurations, ranging from 50 to 950 seats. The building’s pure form—rotated and elevated to accommodate complex below-grade constraints—is wrapped in translucent veined marble laminated within insulated glass. By day, the volume is an elegant, book-matched stone edifice, whose simplicity and traditional material acknowledge the solemnity of its context. By night, this monolith dematerializes, subtly glowing from within to reveal the creative life inside.
