Leicester City Centre designated Leicester's new cultural quarter, and is already the site of the Leicester Creative Business Depot(built on the old Leicester City Bus depot and keeping the initials) and the Athena. The LCB Depot opened in July 2004, and by the time of its first birthday had let 37 of 55 units, with talk starting of finding an additional site. Opposite the Athena, a new flagship £60 million Curve Theatre, Leicester, designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, started construction in 2005, on a site that has been long-disused. It is planned to be ready for handover 2007 to the Haymarket company, who
Rafael Méndez twin sons, both now surgeons; Dr. Rafael G. Méndez, Jr. and Dr. Robert Méndez, and five grandchildren. Rafael Méndez suffered from serious asthma-related problems by the late 1950s which caused increasing difficulty performing at his level of performance. After an injury at a baseball game in Mexico in 1967 caused additional deterioration, he retired from performing in 1975, but continued to compose and arrange. He died at his home in Encino, California on September 15, 1981. Arizona State University's music building houses the Rafael Méndez Library which was dedicated and opened on June 11, 1993. The library holds 300 manuscripts