ATLANTA — The Atlanta Opera announced it will be constructing a new recital hall and rehearsal space thanks to a $27.5 million gift from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
According to the Opera, the new space will be called the Molly Blank Center for Opera and will include a 200-seat recital hall, rehearsal spaces, gardens and administrative offices.
The new facility is expected to foster the community as a thriving hub for music, arts and community engagement, according to the Opera, and will be a renovation and expansion of the historic Bobby Jones Clubhouse, which was opened in 1941.
“My mother, an artist herself, believed in the power of the arts to bring joy and healing. As a sculptor and dancer, she loved attending concerts, theater, and opera in Atlanta and New York,” Arthur Blank, renowned entrepreneur, co-founder of The Home Depot, and philanthropist, said. “My brother Michael and I are proud to carry on her passion for the arts, and we know she would be honored to see her name alongside one of the country’s top opera companies. We’re excited to support the new multi-disciplinary center on the Atlanta Beltline and the Molly Blank Discoveries Series, bringing opera to new audiences. I can’t think of a more perfect way to honor her legacy.”
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The $27.5 million is the lead gift of the Atlanta Opera’s $110 million, three-year comprehensive campaign, with the organization leadership saying the Blank Foundation grant “ensures that the Opera’s vision extends beyond constructing its new home.”
The gift is split between a $25 million capital development and $2.5 million for continued sponsorship of the Molly Blank Discoveries Series.
“Few leaders have left as large an imprint on Atlanta as Arthur Blank,” Tomer Zvulun, the Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera, said. “I personally admire his vision and am profoundly grateful for his generosity. It brings me great joy that our new Opera headquarters will be named after his mother, Molly Blank, who adored opera. Her legacy of courage, compassion, community service, and much-loved sense of humor will inspire all we create and accomplish in the new facility.”
The Atlanta Opera said they expect construction on the new center to be complete in the summer of 2027.
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