EMERSON HILL — Officials cut the ribbon on a $13 million building dedicated to performing arts at Susan E. Wagner High School with a black box theater, practice spaces and more.
The 27,000 square-foot Performing Arts Center adds a dance studio, four new classrooms with more than 200 new school seats, the 2,680 square-foot black box theater and a music suite with an equipment room and five sound proof practice rooms.
"Today we reached the top of the mountain," said Wagner principal Gary Giordano. "There's nothing like it on Staten Island, rare in New York City, and I would venture to say unique in the United States."
The new building has rooms dedicated for theater, chorus, guitar and stage craft classes and the school added five lessons a day in the dance studio, said Paul Corn, assistant principal for performing arts at the school.
Officials lauded the performing arts program at the high school, whose theater program has won several national awards over the years, and said the new center will help students develop their talents more.
"Use this room to its fullest capabilities, use this room to your fullest capabilities," Borough President James Oddo told students on Friday. "You have to come out of this experience a better performer, a happier person and then you have to share your gifts."
The center was announced in 2013 and was funded with money including $7.5 million from then-Borough President James Molinaro and $500,000 from then-Councilman Oddo.
