TROY — The Arbogast Performing Arts Center (APAC) has been awarded national recognition as the 2022 Building of the Year from the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association (MBCEA).

Representatives from Brentwood Builders and Foundation Steel visited the APAC on South Dorset Road in Troy on Wednesday, Oct. 19, to present the facility with the 2022 Building of the Year Award.

“We were trying to make it a special place,” said Dave Arbogast, whom the building is named after and is a major funds contributor of the project. “We knew that we had a diamond in the rough here, but we didn’t realize that it would bring such national prominence.”

The 1,200-seat performing arts center opened last October, and has already won three national awards for its unique design, including the Building of the Year Award issued by the MBCEA.

The MBCEA recognized seven building projects in its Building of the Year awards but the top honor, National Building of the Year, was awarded to Foundation Steel LLC, of Swanton, for its involvement in the construction of the APAC. Foundation Steel served as the building erector; the steel itself was supplied by Butler Manufacturing, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Brentwood Builders Inc., of Cedarville, served as construction manager for the project.

“The building is not yet one year old,” APAC Executive Director Jeanne Ward said. “It has more than met our expectations.”

“Over 40,000 guests have come through this building in less than a year,” Ward said. “We’ve had an amazing first season.”

Designed by architect Mike Twiss of MT Studios, the 39,000-square-foot building features a special open floor plan that gives the performance space excellent acoustics, and allows all guests to see performances without obstructions. Approximately 160-tons of steel were used to create this special design; in total, the APAC cost an estimated $12.5 million dollars to build.

“The sound quality portion of it was very important to me,” Arbogast said. “A company out of Nashville, Tennessee helped us with designing the acoustics.”

In addition to the main performance space, the APAC also features a separate art gallery featuring works by local artists. The APAC also hosts events like prom and homecoming for local school districts,

“We very much want to expose the whole community to what’s available here,” Arbogast said. “We’re looking for ways to expand the use of it.”

“We’re constantly searching out new ways to be able to use the facility,” he said.

“It’s more than just shows,” Ward said. “The possibilities are limitless. We are here serving our communities in so many different ways.”

“Our mission is creating community,” Ward said.

“Both of our kids went to Troy Christian Schools, so we’ve had a long connection with Troy Christian,” Arbogast said. “We’ve always tried to support the community. We want to give back to the community that gave so much to us in our business.”