Backstory: Bilbao on the Mississippi

The Twin Cities seem to be following the strategy outlined by sociologist Richard Florida in his controversial 2002 book, "The Rise of the Creative Class." It argues that regions with great recreational and arts amenities draw talented people and in turn create vibrant economies. While dramatic new buildings are not guaranteed to spark vibrant communities, they can help put a city on the map. "Build it and they will come," says Riley. No one ever went to Bilbao. They didn't even know it existed until you put an iconic building there."

The region's long history of generous corporate and private support for the arts and culture has been tested by undertaking so many competing projects at once.

"People who have done well here feel the absolute obligation to give back to the community and to serve that community in a way that I don't think exists in many other places," says Joe Dowling, the artistic director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, a preeminent nonprofit regional theater.

Its $125 million, three-theater complex, the first North American project for French architect Jean Nouvel, included individual donations of as much as $10 million. The Guthrie also sought state funding, in part to make the point that it was not an elitist organization but a vital resource for all of the state's citizens, Mr. Dowling says. Despite strong opposition from then-Gov. Jesse Ventura, a $25 million bonding bill passed in 2003 and was signed by his successor, Tim Pawlenty. "We had to win the battle in the court of public opinion," Dowling says.

Donors in Minneapolis "have always been supportive of taking risks, artistically and culturally," says Mr. Fisher. "Because of our location, we're sort of like Avis: We just have to try harder. We don't have a mountain range or an ocean or other things to attract people."

St. Louis has its Gateway Arch, Seattle its Space Needle, San Francisco its Golden Gate Bridge. Will the new Guthrie Theater, shimmering high above the Mississippi River, provide a similar signature for Minneapolis?

Joe Dowling thinks so. "It will be an iconic building," says the Guthrie's longtime artistic director.

Among the new Guthrie's unusual features are its dark blue glass-and-metal "skin," which at night reveals ghostly images from past productions; its cantilevered "bridge to nowhere" stretched toward the river; and its three rooftop masts that announce productions.

The new Guthrie, which begins its first season with "The Great Gatsby" July 15, will hold a free day-long open house June 25. After that, the lobby, on-site restaurants, and lookout will remain open to the public free of charge.

Upon entering the building, visitors will ride an elongated elevator to reach the fourth floor and the 1,100-seat main theater, which features a "thrust" design in which the audience sits on three sides of the stage. It's a close copy of the distinctive theater in the original Guthrie, built in 1963 next to the Walker Art Center a few miles away, but the new space offers more legroom.

The complex also contains a 700-seat traditional proscenium stage and a 200-seat flexible space for experimental and student work. The main thrust stage brings big productions, such as Shakespeare plays and musicals, close to the audience, while the proscenium is ideal for intimate works.

The United States is too big and too diverse to have just one "national theater," Mr. Dowling says, but "we're calling ourselves a national center for theater arts and theater education. It reflects what we're doing."

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