At the heart of the newly developing Pearl District in downtown Fort Wayne, sits the Pearl Street Arts Center. Previously an industrial bakery, the Pearl Street Arts Center is now a center of the arts community, fostering connections between musicians and the audience, the staff and artists, and the experienced and the youth. Designed to accommodate a variety of functions and activities around the clock, this center hosts intimate performances, one-on-one lessons, and commissioned artwork from local talents that adorns every corner of the building. Accessibility was a critical feature when designing the center, ensuring easy movement around the building for the orchestra, staff, visitors, and equipment. The result is an acoustically sensitive space situated less than 100 feet from a set of active railroad tracks. Thanks to an electronic acoustic architecture system, this space can replicate the acoustics of a grand performance hall or even the Grand Canyon, offering immense flexibility to performing artists. The Pearl Street Arts Center aims to inspire through its design, reflecting the beauty that is created within its walls. The goal is to have every musician, artist, staff member, and visitor inspired by their surroundings, connecting them intimately to the arts.

Design: Design Collaborative
Photography: Al Ensley