Did you know that Downtown Bellevue draws over 20 million visitors per year? That’s twice the number that visit Pike Place Market. Downtown Bellevue is the second-busiest location in the state, after Sea-Tac Airport. The population growth on the Eastside, residents’ interest in and support for the arts, and the demand for entertainment and cultural engagement make Downtown Bellevue the perfect place for a world-class performing arts center - enter PACE: Performing Arts Center Eastside.
Slated for development at 110th Ave and 6th St on land donated by Kemper Freeman, there are bold goals for the Center. Executive Director Lora Unger tells Bellevue Lifestyle that the focus of PACE is “To be the catalyst that transforms the quality of life for every generation of the Eastside. It will be the Kennedy Center of the Eastside.” After completion, the Center will host more than 350 performances and events annually (Broadway musicals, plays, cabaret, jazz, classical, country, comedy, and more), partner with Eastside school districts to provide education programs, and build relationships with cultural and other organizations to help shape the future of our communities.
PACE has been in development and fundraising phases for a number of years, and Unger has been brought in to bring the project to fruition. She comes from California where she last served as CEO at the Pasadena Syphony Association for nine years. “Lora is perfectly matched for the needs of PACE at this exciting moment in its history,” noted Cathi Hatch, PACE Board Vice Chair and Chair of the Search Committee. “She cares about the arts and community, and is a results-oriented leader with a successful record of transformational change, fiscal growth and team building.”
With the support of corporate and individual leaders in the community, PACE will make good on its mission of fulfilling the need for a cultural heart on the Eastside.
After completion, the Center will host more than 350 performances and events annually