Kranzberg Cultural Arts Center to open in Grand Center

The Kranzberg Cultural Arts Center, sponsored by Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, is slated to open in mid-August, once again lighting up the former Woolworth Building at the corner of Olive and Grand in Grand Center.

The Kranzberg Arts Center will be comprised of two performing spaces, a rehearsal space and a satellite location of the Craft Alliance.

The Black Box Theater will have a wide range of seating arrangement possibilities and a maximum capacity of 110. Its season will begin with the Hot City performance of “Killing Women,” running September 17-October 5. Upstream Theater will follow on the schedule with “Blood Knot,” running October 23-November 9.

The Studio will be mostly dedicated to cabaret performances, with Casual Cabaret Company and Spotlight Theatre Cabaret Series taking the stage this fall. Also planned is a partnership with KDHX to allow five filmmakers to show films that use Grand Center as the films’ primary backdrop. The Studio will be set up with tables and chairs, and will accommodate up to 80 patrons. In addition, its walls will be adorned with art selected by the Kranzbergs.

To complete the theater-going experience, the center will partner with St. Louis catering company With Love…Catering and Confections to provide food and drink to audience members. A restaurant is expected to open in the space adjacent to the Studio, at which point the Arts Center will collaborate with the restaurant to provide an open atmosphere where patrons can stroll in and out of the restaurant and the studio to enjoy the best of both services.

The Craft Alliance will occupy a street-level exhibition space and will have an education center along with studios for artists in residence on the lower level. The education center will have spaces for metalworking, clay, graphics and fiber studios. The Craft Alliance hopes to reach up to 20,000 visitors per year with the new expansion.

The opening of the Kranzberg Cultural Arts Center promises to add to the sparkle and excitement of Grand Center. “Things are happening, it’s fabulous,” said Ken Kranzberg, “in 3-5 years, we won’t recognize Grand Center from what it is today.”