The Charlotte County Cultural Center, long a hub for arts, education and community gatherings, will be rebuilt by 2030, following severe damage from Hurricane Ian.
County Facilities Director Travis Perdue told the Board of County Commissioners on May 27 that demolition of the 8-acre complex on Aaron Street in Port Charlotte is scheduled for fiscal year 2026, with construction expected to begin in 2028. Completion is projected for spring 2030, with a total project cost of $52.75 million.
After the hurricane ravaged the Cultural Center in September 2022, residents spoke at county commission meetings, imploring officials to reopen the center.
Opened in 1960, the center hosted live theater, dances, shows, musical acts, card games, lunches at its restaurant, veterans services, information, adult education classes and private events. It was operated by a nonprofit under a lease with the county, owner of the land and buildings. However, the nonprofit ended its lease in 2021, citing financial strain during the pandemic. The county was preparing to renovate the facility when Hurricane Ian struck in 2022, rendering most of it unusable.
Only the Port Charlotte Public Library section of the complex remains open. It will continue operations until the new Mid-County Regional Library opens on Forrest Nelson Boulevard later this winter.
The county launched a public survey and hired a market research firm to gather input on community needs. Perdue said the consensus was that a new theater space focused on arts and cultural events was needed. Consultants have recommended a 500-seat, sloped-floor performance space.
The new library will have administrative offices, various study and multipurpose rooms, adult, teen and children areas, a drive-up book drop, a Friends of the Library bookstore and a circulation lobby. There will be a Historical Center and Archives section with an on-site historian.
Other preferences indicated by the public include a fitness space, creative space, enrichment classes, function and event rental space and an outdoor community space.
The county has yet to determine who will operate the new center. Commission Chair Joe Tiseo asked whether there are any community partners or organizations interested in operating the Center.
“I’m leaning to not operate it,” he said, adding that he would prefer a professional in fundraising and marketing.
Commissioner Stephen R. Deutsch said if the Center falls under an outside manager, the principals should provide monthly reports and updates before the county commission.
Commissioner Ken Doherty prefers the facility take up less acreage and be built vertically.
The project’s master plan is 50% complete, and demolition design is 90% done. Demolition is estimated to cost $2 million, and the final design work is projected at $3.5 million, to be completed by fiscal year 2027.
