Council Makes Push To Keep center
By Dug Begley
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — The Walton Arts Center, celebrating its 15th year on Dickson Street, has outgrown
its confines, according to the first part of a feasibility study. Fayetteville City Council members
adamantly told a Walton Arts Center board member and two center staffers it certainly hasn’t worn out
its welcome.
“It was probably one of the greatest things to happen to this city in the last 50 years,” said Alderman
Robert Rhoads.
Rhoads and other council members said Tuesday evening they would do everything in their power to see
the center firmly rooted in Fayetteville, even if it has to move to a bigger space.
“We’re doing everything we know to do,” Nancy Allen said.
The center, which led the revitalization of Dickson Street as a regional entertainment destination, is
woefully undersized for the area’s needs, explained Curt Rom, an arts center board member appointed by
Fayetteville.
“It’s too big for small performances and much too small for big performances,” Rom said.
A two-year feasibility study found the center needs a main theater of at least 2,500 seats to meet the
region’s needs, Rom said. A theater that large will require a larger center, he added. Rom also noted the
current Walton Arts Center theater is used 95 percent of the time it is available, warranting a second
stage.
