Jesuit's Antinori Center For The Arts Set To Break Ground

TAMPA, FL — The Antinori Center for the Arts will break ground at a special ceremony in September as the centerpiece of Phase II of Jesuit High School’s Campus Master Plan.

This 32,400-square foot facility for the school’s music, theater and fine arts programs will transform the arts on campus by providing space for Jesuit's talented and creative students and faculty.

The arts center is named in honor of Susan and Ron Antinori of the class of '60. In 2019, Jesuit announced a $2 million capital gift by the Antinoris toward Phase II of the master plan. Ron Antinori has a long history of giving to Jesuit. In 2016, a computer lab was named in memory of his parents, Paul and Rosa Antinori.

Now, with this transformational $2 million gift, the centerpiece of Phase II will be named The Antinori Center for the Arts.

Ron Antinori was the founder and CEO of Antinori Software Inc. (later Carreker-Antinori Inc.). In 2010, he founded Rapido!, a classical music composition competition, and he has served on the board of the Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Jesuit’s Campus Master Plan has been made possible by the school’s $50 million "For Greater Glory" campaign. Phase I included the Chapel of the Holy Cross; Oliva Courtyard; a stately perimeter wall that gives the school a collegiate presence; Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto; and Gonzmart Hall, a 32,000-square-foot administration and student services building that is the face of Jesuit along Himes Avenue.

The new arts center, which has been designed by Alfonso Architects, will be located on what is currently the senior parking lot and the adjacent space to the west. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2023.

The auditorium in the arts center will be approximately 5,200 square feet and seat about 430. The lobby will be more than 2,100 square feet, and the black box theater classroom about 1,500 square feet. The theater stage is more than 3,800 square feet.

Jesuit High School of Tampa is a private, all-male Catholic high school rooted in the Jesuit tradition of education. Jesuit has been educating young men in the Tampa Bay area since 1899.

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