The Big Pour

We hit a major milestone this week! See the incredible photos and get the whole story from the concrete foundation pour.

Early Saturday morning, November 4, Dr. Phillips Center was buzzing with activity. A massive concrete foundation pour on the future site of Steinmetz Hall and The Green Room took over the downtown block. The construction site was brightly lit in anticipation of the pour, with equipment being moved into place by two, 200-foot cranes. For over a 10-hour span, more than 100 concrete trucks delivered a total of 2,000 cubic yards of concrete — enough to create a seven-foot-wide sidewalk that circles Lake Eola five times. The trucks brought concrete from multiple local plants and lined up one after another, completely wrapping the arts center.

Each truck took just minutes to unload its concrete into one of three tractor trailer-sized concrete pumps operating on the perimeter of the site. As the concrete was pumped into the foundation pit, construction teams worked 28-feet below ground. “Placers” used specialized equipment to rake and move the concrete into position, then “finishers” smoothed the concrete before it set.

Construction crews had placed more than 1.5 million pounds of steel rebar — including 670 cages that were hand-tied — in the foundation in preparation for the pour. The rebar (reinforcement bar) strengthens the concrete.

Over the next few weeks, the concrete pour will be complete and the foundation for Steinmetz Hall and The Green Room will be set!

Thank you for your ongoing support to bring our community this phenomenal theater. We’re 98% to our construction goal, with $14 Million. Our sights are set on Spring 2020, when we will welcome guests to Steinmetz Hall and The Green Room.