N.C. Theater Consulatnt Tackles Ground Zero Project

N.C. Theater Consultant Tackles Ground Zero Project
Balancing Space, Costs, Noise Among Design Obstacles
POSTED: 4:38 pm EDT July 31, 2005
UPDATED: 5:04 pm EDT July 31, 2005
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A man who helped consult on several performing arts projects at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and across the country is preparing for one of the most difficult projects of his career.
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Robert Long is consulting on the development of two performing arts centers at the former site of the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York.
"He has dealt with big projects, small projects and difficult projects. He understands what the public needs and what the client needs," said Anita Contini, vice president and director for memorial, cultural and civic programs with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.
The LMDC -- created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to oversee the revitalization and redevelopment of lower Manhattan -- hired Long to help with the conception of the performing arts centers included in the World Trade Center Cultural Arts plan. The plan includes construction of the International Freedom Center museum and the Drawing Center, in addition to the Joyce International Dance Theatre and Signature Theatre.
"It is a site that deserves an international outlook," Long said. "It's not just for New York City but for the world."
Balancing space needs with building costs and acoustically isolating the building from the noise of the city are among the many design obstacles he must conquer.
"These projects are illogical from a financial standpoint," he said. "The payoff comes when the client really believes that they can do it. I spend a lot of time trying to get the components together so that the clients can find a way for it to work."
For the past 35 years, the Chapel Hill resident has guided developments from conception to opening night. That included work on the design and reconstruction of Memorial Hall and the renovation of the Old Playmakers Theatre at UNC-Chapel Hill.
After graduating from UNC, Long earned his master's degree in theater design at Yale. He went on to work on the Geffen Playhouse renovation in Los Angeles, the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyo., and the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Telluride, Colo.
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