LAWRENCEVILLE, GA.: The City of Lawrenceville has announced plans for a new $26 million arts and cultural facility in the city’s downtown historic district. The 50,000-square-foot complex will include a 525-seat theatre, a cabaret performance space, classrooms, practice rooms, and office space. The building will connect to the existing Aurora Theatre, the second largest performing arts theatre in the state or Georgia.

“This exciting project continues the dynamic transformation of the downtown area,” said mayor Judy Jordan Johnson in a statement. “Lawrenceville is the heart of Gwinnett and maintains a central area rich with activity for all generations. This facility will bring the arts community together with educational opportunities and all the other amenities that our vibrant community has to offer to create a dynamic core for Gwinnett County.”

The Aurora Theatre will work with the city to manage, operate, and curate the programming for the future arts center. Construction will begin in 2019, and the targeted completion for the project is mid-2020.

“Ann-Carol Pence (co-founder and associate producer) and I believe that cultural arts build a bridge to greater understanding,” said Anthony Rodriquez, co-founder and producing artistic director of Aurora Theatre, in a statement. “Every arts organization can boast that their shared vision is supported by their staff, artists, board, volunteers, sponsors, and donors. We are no different. What is revolutionary is that the city of Lawrenceville has provided cultural infrastructure that not only supports this vision, but builds it from the ground up. This is transformative. These partnerships unite our community; they break down cultural and racial barriers. Lawrenceville took a powerful chance on us 12 years ago. For that, we are very grateful. To be on the brink of a campus expansion is beyond what we dreamed. We are thrilled to play the role of a lifetime in the future of our community alongside the City of Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County.”