The new Coppell Arts Center, scheduled for completion in spring 2020, will open new doors for local artists both literally and figuratively: they will have a greater space in which to practice their art.

“[I am most looking forward to] not having to share a space like we have to share now,” Coppell Chorale President Bethany Henze said. “We only have one working theater here, so we have to rotate. We’re on top of each other a lot, the orchestra can’t perform, so that’s very exciting.”

Currently, the Coppell Chorale, along with Theatre Coppell, share the Center for the Arts building at 157 S. Moore Road in Coppell. The use of the current building will be determined in spring 2020 upon the opening of the new arts center.

The arts center groundbreaking was Monday, but the development of the arts center has been a project of the City of Coppell since 1997, when the development of Old Town Coppell, where the new arts center will be located, started. While the initial idea may have started in the 1990s, the idea started to become reality in January 2017, when the city agreed to work with architecture company Corgan.

The arts center will have a main stage theater, flexible theater, a multi-purpose space for rehearsals and meetings, a gallery and a studio space. It will host live performances from Theatre Coppell and the Coppell Chorale, along with other arts groups.

The budget for the facility is $17 million, funded by Coppell Recreation Development Corporation (CRDC), a sales tax revenue fund.

“It became clear the community wanted a little bit more emphasis on the arts and culture when we did our [Coppell Vision] 2030, so we are just thrilled that we are finally moving ahead with this,” Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt said.

Coppell Vision 2030 was made in 2009 to establish strategies to maintain Coppell’s diversity and safety, as well as to improve upon the offering of services and gathering places for the community. The arts center is a part of this.

“I know there are multiple arts groups that, when they are doing recitals, have to go outside of Coppell,” Hunt said. “This is another place for Coppell to gather and experience arts and culture in the community, which is the part that is exciting.”

Not only does the arts center provide excitement for local artists, it also offers a new, different opportunity for citizens.  

“I’m very excited about the arts centers,” Coppell Arts Council President Pete Wilson said. “This is another centerpoint [for Coppell],”

Perhaps most important for both citizens and artists alike is the center provides an important factor of culture for Coppell.

“Art is priceless, art is everywhere in the community, and everyone, whether they realize it or not, probably dabbles in some sort of art, whether it’s singing or dancing,” Henze said. “There are so many ways art just touches our lives that I don’t think everyone is aware of.”