Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 10/07/2026 04:03:00

Designed by Cesar Pelli and opened in 1995, the Aronoff Center for the Arts at 650 Walnut Street is downtown Cincinnati's flagship performing arts complex. Three theatres operate under one roof: the 2,719-seat Procter and Gamble Hall, which hosts Broadway Across America touring productions and large-scale concerts; the 437-seat Jarson-Kaplan Theater, suited to mid-size performances and community programming; and the intimate 150-seat Fifth Third Theatre for experimental and workshop-scale productions. The centre anchors the Backstage Entertainment District at the eastern end of downtown, surrounded by restaurants, hotels, and nightlife that feed off its pre-show and post-show foot traffic. Managed by the Cincinnati Arts Association, the Aronoff is home to resident companies including the Cincinnati Ballet and serves as the primary venue for touring Broadway, dance, and music productions that visit the city. More than 300,000 patrons pass through its doors annually. The building itself is a piece of public art. Pelli's design features sweeping curves, a glass-and-steel atrium, and an interior that uses colour and natural light to guide patrons through lobbies and concourses. The Weston Art Gallery on the lower level presents rotating exhibitions of contemporary art by regional and national artists, adding a visual-arts dimension to the performing-arts mission. The gallery is open to the public free of charge during building hours. Ticketing is handled through the Cincinnati Arts Association box office at 513-621-2787 and online at cincinnatiarts.org. The centre is ADA accessible with assisted-listening devices available for performances. Parking garages are located adjacent to the building on Walnut and Main streets, and the Connector streetcar stops nearby for public transit access.