The Anchorage Assembly will receive a briefing Friday afternoon on the $50 million in repairs that may be needed for the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, a downtown cultural hub that has suffered from decades of deferred maintenance.
The 2:10 pm presentation, prepared by ACPA, Inc. — the nonprofit that has operated the center since its opening in 1988 –warns that the PAC is facing escalating infrastructure failure, decades of underinvestment, and operational constraints that threaten its core functions, safety, and long-term viability.
Despite hosting between 150,000 and 250,000 patrons annually, supporting eight resident companies, and serving as an economic engine for downtown Anchorage, the PAC’s facility has not seen consistent capital investment from its municipal owner.
According to ACPA’s report, only a handful of improvements have been publicly funded over the decades, including a roof replacement in 2005 and a recently approved $1.8 million allocation for fire safety and elevator upgrades. The funds for that have yet to be fully deployed due to engineering and procurement delays.
Most of the PAC’s systems date back to its original 1988 construction and have surpassed their life expectancy. ACPA’s recent facility assessment, conducted with support from Stantec and Theatre Projects, identified $22.9 million in near-term repair needs, many of which are tied to life safety.
Among the most urgent concerns:
- An aging and partially defunct fire panel system.
- Freight and passenger elevators in danger of failure due to water intrusion in the piston shaft.
- Obsolete air handling and ventilation systems.
- Failing lighting, public address, and building control systems.
- A compromised building envelope with visible cracking and joint failures.
- A generator that is no longer functional.
ACPA staff are currently mitigating several of these issues manually, such as pumping water from the elevator shaft every few months due to piston corrosion, a stopgap measure the Municipality has reportedly agreed to monitor for failure rather than proactively resolve.
The center’s operating agreement with the Municipality dates to 1988, when ACPA was allocated a $1.175 million annual management fee. That amount has not kept pace with inflation, the ACPA says in its handout. Had it been adjusted each year, today’s fee would be over $3.3 million. Instead, the facility receives $1.58 million, leaving ACPA to shoulder the difference.
Despite limited resources, ACPA has launched multiple initiatives to sustain the PAC, including the creation of CenterTix in 2005 and a partnership with national Broadway promoter Nederlander in 2023. The Broadway Alaska program has generated revenue, but was paused earlier this year due to mounting operational challenges and the need to realign resources.
Broadway Alaska’s temporary suspension through the 2025–2026 season is not a termination of the program, the briefing clarifies. Instead, the pause allowed ACPA to address building deficiencies, stabilize finances, and renegotiate a sustainable management structure with the Municipality.
ACPA’s message to the Assembly is: Without immediate investment and a revised operating agreement, the PAC cannot continue to provide low-cost access for nonprofit and resident arts groups, support tourism and economic growth, or guarantee the safety and comfort of audiences and performers.
A follow-up presentation of Phase 1 assessment findings is scheduled for Aug. 4.
The meeting will be broadcast at the YouTubelink below.
Prior to this meeting, the Anchorage Assembly also scheduled a work session for 11:50 am: “Worksession Draft AR for Better Public Meetings Project.”
