A $3 million donation
from the Harvey and Carol Massey Foundation will help “close the $14 million gap” needed to complete Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
A $3 million donation from the Harvey and Carol Massey Foundation will help “close the $14 million gap” needed to complete the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, officials said.
The downtown Orlando arts center has been raising money to finish the building’s Steinmetz Hall, a 1,700-seat acoustic theater, and The Green Room, a smaller music venue. Construction began in March and is expected to be complete in 2020.
The donation, announced Thursday, was made with “great enthusiasm and great pride,” said Harvey Massey, president of Massey Services, a pest-control and lawn-care company.
“This is the largest investment our foundation has made to date,” he said. “We couldn’t think of a more fitting recipient.”
To honor the donation, the elegant stairway in the center’s main lobby will be named the “Harvey and Carol Massey Family Grand Staircase,” with the designation added to the glass panels along the steps. Harvey Massey called the staircase “the heart of the entire facility.” He said the donation matched his foundation’s mission of making a positive impact on Central Florida via support of arts, health care and other initiatives.
The Masseys have previously donated to the center.
“They’re up to above $5 million, and they’re not through,” said center chairman Jim Pugh to laughter from the assembled dignitaries. To the Masseys’ children, he quipped: “I guess they’re giving away your inheritance.”
Turning serious, he praised the Masseys’ commitment to philanthropy. “It’s a wonderful day when you get to do something nice for them,” he said, “because they’re always doing nice for everyone else.”
Massey Services is the fifth-largest pest-control firm in the U.S., according to company information. The $230 million firm has more than 155 service centers in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma and employs about 2,000 people.
When finished, the Dr. Phillips Center will have cost more than $550 million. During Thursday’s presentation, president Kathy Ramsberger said last year almost 360,000 people attended events at the venue, which hosted 350 performances.