The Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts is owned and managed by Victoria College.
In 1992, Victoria Community Theatre identified the abandoned Dunlap’s Department Store building on the corner of Main and Goodwin streets as a likely candidate for renovation and new home for the theatre group.
In 1994, a group of medical administrators and doctors moved forward to purchase the building and to expand on the theater's goal by creating a multi-purpose performing arts center.
Victoria Performing Arts Center, Inc. (VPAC) was formed to carry on with the plans and fundraising. The organization’s goal was to bring the arts to downtown Victoria, revitalizing the historical district of the community while improving the quality of life for the entire Crossroads area.
Groundbreaking was held in November 2001 and the center was dedicated in December 2004.
The center was named in remembrance of Leo J. Welder, a prominent local rancher, businessman and philanthropist who died in 1996. Welder was a member of the Victoria Performing Arts Center Board of Directors. Robert J. Hewitt, Jr., Chairman of the VPAC Board said that “he [Leo] was one of the instrumental individuals who brought the idea of a performing arts center forward into the community's conscience."
Ownership of the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts was transferred to Victoria College in June, 2012. Under Victoria College’s management, acoustical, multi-media and cinema projection improvements and additions have been accomplished to further expand potential usages of the facility.
Box Office Hours
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Owned and managed by Victoria College
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Resident Company
Theatre Victoria
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Founded and supported by Victoria Performing Arts Center, Inc.
- Supported in part by HOT funds granted by the City of Victoria, TX
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