The grand opening ceremonies of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, in October 2009, marked the long-anticipated completion of the Dallas Arts District, an idea first conceived more than 25 years ago. In the late 1970s, visionary Dallas leaders foresaw the growing need for new cultural facilities in Dallas. They identified the clear advantage of clustering these venues within a tight geographic area in order to reap maximum economic, educational and cultural benefits for each arts entity and for the city of Dallas. The vision of the AT&T Performing Arts Center is to raise funds to build and operate a premier performing arts center consistent with Dallas' longstanding tradition of achieving greatness by blending the city's powerful entrepreneurial spirit with the community's generosity and commitment to excellence.