PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Darla Miles reports
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DALLAS - With four years from design to debut and more than $354 million invested, the new AT&T Performing Arts Center got its chance to shine Sunday with a full day and night of free festivities.
"For us, this is art," said Petey Parker Fite. "The buildings are art."
Sunday was a day the Fites and many other North Texans have long awaited.
"We were the first ones to move into One Arts," Fite said.
"We would wake up at 3 o'clock and you could hear the beep, beep, beep," she said of the construction.
Spotlight Sunday allowed the public to get their very first tours, watch performances and receive free admittance into the Art District museums.
"Oh, this is awesome," said Melanie Parker, a Plano resident.
The center has already drawn tourists from across the nation. One lucky Florida resident, Tom Grimshaw, just happened to be in town the day of the festivities.
"We heard about it on TV, on the radio," he said.
For nine hours, the celebration raged on with outside performances.
Thousands of tourists herded inside the Wyly Theater. Some waited up to an hour for a guided tour.
There were more than two dozen performances at the Winspear Opera House. The 234,000 square foot building was virtually stuffed to capacity all day.
"For us, this is incredible," Fite said. "It's incredible."
The night ended with music and fireworks that popped high over the Performing Arts Center.
