Members attend private view of new Belfast arts centre

摘要

Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre opened to the general public in March following an 18-month restoration but members of Ireland's Northern Centre got a sneak preview of the work done to restore one of the city's most historic buildings. The 150-year-old structure has been renovated to 21 st century standards. Part three storey and part four storey, with Scrabo sandstone elevations and natural slate roof, the buildling was constructed in 1873 as a college and first opened as the Crescent Arts Centre (CAC) in 1978. A Bl listed building, it was in a poor state of repair with around half the floor area unusable. Over £4m of funding was secured to completely refurbish and extend the premises. The aim was to provide multipurpose spaces for visual, performance and creative arts, which include galleries, workshops, studios, offices and a cafe.