ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — With downtown venues drawing steady crowds and city leaders weighing major investments in entertainment infrastructure, Asheville — a mountain city built on music and art — is once again revisiting plans for a new performing arts facility near the heart of the city.
The Asheville City Council recently reserved city-owned land in the Parkside area for up to two years while officials explore the possibility of developing a large-scale arts and entertainment facility. The site near City Hall and Pack Square Park has long been considered a potential location for a new performing arts center.
The renewed effort follows years of discussion about the aging Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, which city officials say no longer meets the needs of some modern touring productions. The venue closed for nine months in 2023 after a major HVAC failure.
A city task force later estimated renovation costs between $105 million and $150 million and concluded in 2024 that upgrading the facility for Broadway-scale productions was not financially feasible…