The Performing Arts Center is located at the intersection of Vesey, Fulton, and Greenwich Streets in Lower Manhattan.

Joshua Ramus and Davis Brody Bond were selected as architects in 2015, joined by Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) as the structural engineer.

[1] The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) announced on October 12, 2004, that Gehry Partners LLP and Snøhetta, an architectural firm from Norway, would design the Performing Arts Center.

[2][3][4] Gehry's proposal, which incorporated a boxlike design, would have housed the Joyce Theater, as the Signature Theatre Company had dropped out due to space constraints and cost limitations.

[4] Then-mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in 2010 that he would provide $100 million for the theater's construction from a federal fund dedicated to projects in Lower Manhattan.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) announced at a board meeting that the $99 million in federal funds committed to the project was contingent on the arts center's leaders' "producing an affordable design and a viable plan for raising the remaining money from private sources.

[24] On March 27, 2017, it was announced that construction would be delayed due to ongoing disputes between the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the Port Authority regarding funding for the project.

[26] The Port Authority gave the Performing Arts Center a 99-year lease in February 2018, and Bill Rauch was appointed as the new artistic director.

[30] The Performing Arts Center received $89 million from the LMDC and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in December 2018.

[47] The center, branded as PAC NYC,[48] planned to host dance, film, music concerts, opera, and theatrical productions.

[51] During its initial season in 2023–2024, PAC NYC hosted performances such as Trinity Church Wall Street's concert series Refuge;[52] a piano recital by Mahani Teave;[52] Tamar-kali and Marc Bamuthi Joseph's opera Watch Night;[53] and CATS: 'The Jellicle Ball'.

[54] In 2024, PAC NYC announced that it would develop 25 pieces over five years as part of its The Democracy Cycle series; the first eight works were produced during the 2024–2025 season.

[44] The stone on the facade measures 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) thick and is covered in glass on both sides to reduce energy use and increase security.

[44] There are no windows on the facade; according to Ramus, this "keeps the buzz of theatergoers at a respectful distance from people who are paying tribute at the memorial, and vice versa".

[27][28] PAC NYC's inaugural artistic advisers included Murielle Borst-Tarrant, Ty Defoe, Wendall Harrington, David Henry Hwang, Lisa Kron, David Lan, Joe Melillo, Nico Muhly, Lynn Nottage, Arturo O'Farrill, Jason Samuels Smith, Sonya Tayeh, Julie Taymor, Ivo van Hove, Alexandria Wailes, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.

[61] When the Performing Arts Center was completed, architectural critic Justin Davidson described the structure as holding "the spotlight on a highly visible stage, offering spectacle without garishness".

[62] Peter Marks of The Washington Post wrote: "The windowless, marble-clad structure sits on the Ground Zero site like a giant sugar cube.