In 1999, members of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music board decided that they needed a permanent home. Realizing that they would use the building only part of the year, they invited other non-profit groups in the Highlands community that needed a performance hall or space for lectures or seminars to join together to find a solution to their mutual problem. From that mutual need, the Peforming Arts Center, Inc was founded.
The old Community Bible Church on Chestnut Street
The vision of the Performing Arts Center board was to provide a venue for the performing arts that was accessible to all performing arts groups in the community. It should serve both performers and audiences of our community. In 2000, with a generous "seed money" donation from Sandy Cohn and Ruth Gershon and the cooperation of the Town of Highlands, the old Community Bible Church was purchased and gifted to the town. Additional substantial donations from Bill and Nell Martin and many other individuals of our community allowed the project to move forward quickly. Plans for converting the building into a performance hall were finalized and the renovations began. The result was an intimate, 200 seat venue with exceptional musical acoustics. The vision became a reality on June 16, 2001 when the Martin-Lipscombe Performing Arts Center opened to the public for the first performance.
In 2002, the PAC purchased the land behind the Performing Arts Center with private donations. The Town of Highlands filled, leveled and graveled the area to be used for needed parking. The two lots were combined into one lot that spanned between Chestnut and Laurel Streets. This was a necessary step in the long-range plan to expand the rear of the building because it eliminated the lot-line set-back restrictions.
Raingarden behind PAC to help control stormwater
The rear parking lanes were paved in 2006 and the area was landscaped through a generous donation from the Laural Garden Club and the hard work of Jody Zahner. Jody created a rain garden between the parking lanes that collects and detains much of the rainwater coming from the hard parking surfaces.
The latest building improvement project was completed in 2007 and included backstage dressing rooms, expanded reception area and a freight lift between floors to accomodate scenery and sets.
The programing at the Performing Arts Center has also expanded over the years. Concerts and stage performances are offered by our artistic partners - the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival and the Highlands Community Players - who use the PAC as their home theater. The Center for Life Enrichmnent sponsors many programs and lectures at PAC. Other non-profits and area performing arts groups stage shows and events. In addition, the PAC itself is has expanded its program offerings to the Highlands Community. Bluegrass, jazz, singing, dancing, story-telling and performers young, old, local and international can all be found at the PAC.