Sundance Cinemas site will host elite at Beaux Arts Ball

At the end of the month, construction workers won't be the only ones visiting the unfinished Sundance Cinemas complex. More than 2,500 people are expected to convene at the construction site at 40th and Walnut streets on October 30 for the annual Beaux Arts Ball, held each year at a different Philadelphia construction site. The 18-year-old black-tie event is the largest of its kind, according to the Foundation for Architecture Executive Director John Higgins. The money raised goes to a Foundation educational program that teaches public school students about architecture. This is the second year in a row that Foundation officials have chosen a Penn construction site as the setting for the Ball. Last year, 2,500 guests attended the event at the unfinished Sansom Common complex. "We're very proud to support the growth of West Philadelphia as well as the building itself," Higgins said. University spokesperson Ken Wildes said the ball brings an "invaluable" visibility to the area by attracting people to University City who might not otherwise come. "We're delighted to have this kind of attention? as we continue to establish University city as a destination," Wildes said. Higgins said the event draws a cross section of people -- including Mayor Ed Rendell, businesspeople and students -- from the Philadelphia area, as well as from New York. Top University officials, including President Judith Rodin, have also attended. Each year, there is a different theme for the ball and guests wear costumes accordingly. This year's theme is "Cyberopolis: Surrealist Creations Veiled in Jade and Time," and Higgins said that most people who attend will wear something jade in color, if not a whole outfit. During the night, there is a costume parade and prizes for the best costumes. While Higgins said the ball is normally held in Center City -- such as at the Philadelphia Convention Center or Marriott Hotel when they were under construction -- in the past it has also taken place at such sites as the Apollo at Temple University. Construction began in May on the Sundance Cinemas complex -- which is scheduled to open this spring -- with the razing of much of the existing Hamilton Square structure. Construction has not progressed very far since then.

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