From Dream to Reality
The Hylton Center's original Executive Director, Jean Kellogg, gives a hardhat tour in the Didlake Grand Foyer.
The Hylton Performing Arts Center was created in partnership with Prince William County, the City of Manassas, George Mason University, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, along with many generous private donors and local business members within the community. Each day, we strive to fulfill its founding vision of creating an exciting, stimulating, vital arts experience that expands cultural awareness and integrates the arts into the region's social, economic, and community fabric.
The Hylton Center opened its doors in May of 2010. Dedicated on May 1, the original building featured the 1123 seat Merchant Hall and the flexible Gregory Family Theater as well as the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery. Within a few short years, the Hylton's programming grew to include the Hylton Presents series, the Hylton Family Series, Matinee Idylls, the American Roots series, and a robust season of programming from the Hylton Center Arts Partners. In addition to the community members attending and participating in these performances, Hylton Center educational programming draws thousands of school children here each year. Beginning in 2015, the Veterans and the Arts Initiative quickly grew to support the Veteran community in our region, and has become a national leader for arts programming of its kind.
Soon, it became clear that it was time to complete the original vision of the Hylton Center by building the Education and Rehearsal Wing. Completed in 2019, this expansion adds 17,000 square feet that allows the artists and arts educators of our community to fully facilitate the entire life-cycle of artistic creation.