The arts center planned for downtown McLean has a new name and a potential timeline for starting construction.
The facility will officially be known as the MPA Berlage Arts & Education Center in honor of McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) board member and longtime supporter Bruce L. Berlage, who made a “significant” contribution to help fund the project, MPA announced last week.
The nonprofit organization didn’t specify the amount of Berlage’s naming gift, which was first revealed at its annual Spring Benefit fundraiser on Thursday (May 15), but the donation is sizable enough that it can finalize its plans for the new arts center.
Construction on the 6,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of The Signet (6910 Fleetwood Road) is currently scheduled to begin this summer, putting MPA’s previously announced goal of a September 2025 opening within reach.
“MPA is grateful to and celebrates Bruce Berlage, a member of the MPA Board of Directors and Finance committee, and an early and dedicated champion of this vision,” MPA Executive Director Lori Carbonneau said in a press release. “Bruce has built a remarkable career in real estate, homebuilding, and banking — and has long enriched his community through leadership, philanthropy, and joy. His generosity, strategic insight, and unwavering commitment to this project have helped bring this next chapter to life.”
With Berlage’s contribution, MPA has now raised $5.6 million out of the $6.25 million it says is needed to build-out and launch the center, which will enable it to expand its operations to the heart of McLean’s developing Community Business Center.
Other notable donors have included Fairfax County, which agreed last September to invest $500,000 in Economic Opportunity Reserve funds in the project’s construction.
Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, who represents McLean, lauded MPA’s board for its dedication to the proposed expansion.
“The MPA Berlage Arts & Education Center, located in the heart of McLean, will not only be a landmark for the arts, but will serve as a space for residents to gather and connect,” Bierman said. “The Board of Supervisors firmly believes that this project will be a valuable cultural amenity, benefiting both the community and the county economically.”
MPA also lists the McLean Community Center, the McLean Community Foundation, the Monett family, Silvia Sagari and Magdi Iskander as significant contributors.
Filling a commercial condominium that has been vacant since the Signet finished construction in 2018, the MPA Berlarge Arts and Education Center will feature three exhibition galleries, a professional ceramics studio and a café with an outdoor patio, according to the press release.
Even after the center opens, MPA will continue providing exhibitions and educational programs at its two galleries at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue).
Rendering via McLean Project for the Arts
