Rose Wagner Center - Jeanne Wagner Theater

The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center is a vital active hub for emerging and established artists and arts organizations. The Performing Arts Coalition conceived the project after completing a community cultural needs assessment. This center grew out of a need for additional rehearsal space for the tenants at Capitol Theatre as well as affordable performing spaces for the myriad performing arts companies that have developed over the last 25 years. Theatre Projects Consultants were hired to prepare the needs assessment and to develop a design scheme for the new performing arts center.

     The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center is an excellent example of a public/private funding partnership. Salt Lake County and the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City are the public components of this partnership, with Salt Lake County managing the Phase II construction and ultimately operating the facility once completed. Over seven million dollars was raised by the private sector to complete the partnership. The facility is named after major donor I. J. Wagner's mother, Rose. The Leona Wagner Black Box Theater is named after Mr. Wagner's sister and the 500-seat theatre is named after Mr. Wagner's late wife, Jeanné.

     The Jeanné Wagner Theatre, Phase II, opened on March 31, 2001. Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, Repertory Dance Theatre, and Ririe Woodbury Dance Company make the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center their home.

     The Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts is named after I. J. Wagner's mother. When Salt Lake City businessman "Izzi" Wagner became aware of Salt Lake County plans for a new arts center to be built on the site of the adobe house in which he was born, he realized it was an opportunity to honor the three most important people in his life—his mother Rose Wagner, his wife Jeanné Rasmussen Wagner, and his sister Leona Wagner Peterson.

     Born in Latvia, Rose Wagner and her Ukrainian born husband Harry Wagner immigrated to America at the turn of the 20th century. They settled in Salt Lake City in 1910 where their three children, Abe, I.J. "Izzi", and Leona were born. The adobe house became the Wagner Bag Company. Harry Wagner died in 1932, and Rose Wagner managed the company until her death in 1959.