Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts The Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts (originally known as Pioneer Theater Auditorium) is a theater located in Reno, Nevada. It was designed by the Oklahoma City architectural firm of Bozalis, Dickinson and Roloff as a concrete structure with a distinctive gold geodesic dome roof. The facility was completed in 1967 with 987 seats on the main level and 513 seats in a balcony, totaling to 1,500. The co-founder of Temcor, the project's contractor, was Don Richter, a student of Buckminster Fuller, developer of the geodesic dome concept. Temcor had built several gold-anodized aluminum
ASM Headquarters and Geodesic Dome stainless steel "sun shield," which protects against the afternoon sun without obstructing the view by providing 4,000 one-foot by five-inch louvers. Stainless steel, bronze, copper, aluminum, titanium and tungsten elements are incorporated into the interior design. The original investment for the building and landscaping was $2.4 million. The semi-circular building, capped by a geodesic dome, "symbolizes humanity’s mastery of metals and materials." Construction began in March 1958 by general contractor Gillmore-Olson Company, under the supervision of George McKay. Aluminum was supplied by Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Co. of Halethorpe, Maryland. The dome was fabricated by North American Aviation Corporation of