The Ordway

In 1980, Saint Paul resident Sally Ordway Irvine challenged her community to help her create a performing arts venue in which her dream of offering "everything from opera to the Russian circus" could be realized. She set an example by making the first donation to a fund that eventually built Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. By the time the $46 million center opened to the public on January 1, 1985, Sally had contributed $7.5 million—and her family had matched that amount. Certainly, Sally's vision is alive today as the Ordway, Minnesota's Premier Performing Arts Center®, presents a dizzying schedule of theater, dance, music, family events, and educational programs.