Hult Center for the Performing Arts

While you’re walking between the Fifth Street Public Market [1] and the Eugene Saturday Market [2], you might look west past the Eugene Hilton and notice another imposing building close by. This is the Hult Center for the Performing Arts (1 Eugene Center, Willamette St. between 6th Ave. and 7th Ave., 541/687-5000, www.hultcenter.org [3]).

In addition to its status as a topflight performance venue, this place is worth a look for its aesthetics alone. From the frog and troll statues that greet you at the 6th Avenue entrance to the high-ceilinged interior bedecked with masks, artistic touches abound.

Hult Center talent (with nine resident companies) is showcased beneath interlocking acoustic panels on the domed ceiling and walls of the 2,500-seat Silva Concert Hall (which resembles a giant upside-down pastel-colored Easter basket).

The Jacobs Gallery exhibits local artwork, providing another feast for the eyes. Even the bathroom tile is done up in a visually pleasing theatrical motif.

Free one-hour guided tours are offered every other Thursday at noon or by special arrangement. Call 541/682-5733 to check the schedule.