Resulting from a partnership between a range of public and private entities, the Performing Arts Center at Francis Marion University forms the new regional artistic hub, attracts audiences from the area offering educational programs for students at the university. Located near the recently completed main library, little theater and future museum, the center forms an anchor for a growing downtown Florence cultural district.

Hosting multiple academic, professional, local, and touring performing arts groups, the main 900-seat multi-purpose hall accommodates a range of performance genres. A patented moveable, one-piece orchestra shell transforms the auditorium from a music environment to a full stage house for theatrical presentations, ensuring optimal acoustics in either setting. Electronically controlled, the groundbreaking device allows this small regional community to host performances which it was previously unable to accommodate, paving the way for the staging of larger scale, touring presentations.