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Summary: It's your center for performing arts -- enjoy!
Review: MIRACLE is a specialty book for a special audience. It's the story of the building of the nation's performing arts center in Washington D.C., from President Eisenhower's signing of the Sept. 2, 1958 legislation authorizing a national cultural center to its opening in 1971. It's a story of trial and triumph, of bitter controversy and rivalry, of failure and success.In 1789 George Washington directed Pierre L'Enfant to design the Federal City as "a cultural and civic center of the United States." National civic matters dominated immediately but culture lagged behind. (Not a new state of affairs!) As distinctive American music, theater and dance developed, however, the need for a national performance hall became more and more obvious and slowly gained recognition. In the years between 1958 and 1971, General Counsel Ralph Becker was intimately involved in the development of the center. This is his story as well as the center's, for he was not only instrumental in helping solve the problems but his influence and leadership provided a guiding light for the project, which often floundered on the shoals of bureaucracy, tossed on the storms of red tape. From the beginning there was opposition, sometimes quite powerful, to building a national culture center. Many argued that government had no business dabbling in the arts. Even supporters disagreed among themselves. There were arguments and disputes among builders, politicians, developers and civic leaders. Some didn't like the site on the Potomac, some objected to the design, others objected to the materials and still others argued about the cost. That bugaboo of progress, funding, stood on its back legs and roared. Presidents formed committees and commissions. Congressmen wrote bills. Senators debated, citizens lobbied. Just about the only thing about the center that everyone agreed on was the name. After November 22, 1963, everyone who was anyone agreed that the name should be changed from the National Cultural Center for the Arts to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Black and white photographs grace these pages. There are pictures of the building under construction and photos of the pols and performers who've graced the grand occasions at the Center since First Night. If you love the hall as much as I (and it's SO much more than a performance hall) you'll find this an absorbing story. Some of the facts and figures are a little dry but it's a testimony to the persistence and dedication of those who were determined to make it happen. If you're not familiar with the center, you will be after you read this book. After all, it's yours.
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