The Daily Dig:
Agua Fria High School District, McCarthy Building Companies, and ADM Group celebrated the topping out of Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park at Litchfield Road and Camelback. The milestone included a beam signing before the final structural beam was set, completing the framework on the 115,111 square foot campus. Attendees included community members, district leadership, construction partners, Mayor Schoaf, and residents from the neighboring La Loma community.
The nearly $74.5 million voter approved bond project broke ground in May 2025 and is tracking toward a Fall 2026 opening. The campus includes a 34,034 square foot performing arts center with front-of-house space, a lobby, 700 plus seats, and a two-story back-of-house with multi-use space and food service. Alongside that, the project delivers two single-level high-tech classroom buildings and a two-story academic building housing a black box theater, media center, cafeteria, administrative offices, and additional classrooms.
Project Snapshot:
Owner / Developer: Agua Fria High School District
General Contractor / CM: McCarthy Building Companies
Design Team: ADM Group
Sector: K-12 Education
Value / GMP: Nearly $74.5 million, voter approved bond funding
Location: Litchfield Park, AZ, Litchfield Rd. & Camelback Rd.
Scope: 115,111 SF total; 34,034 SF performing arts center with 700+ seats; two single-level classroom buildings; two-story academic building with black box theater, media center, cafeteria, and admin offices
Timeline / Status: Construction started May 2025; structural topping out complete; Fall 2026 completion targeted
TheJobWalk Thoughts:
Steel is done, and the job now shifts hard into interiors, theater systems, specialty trades, and finish coordination. A performing arts center at this scale- acoustics, rigging, lighting, seating, food service, tech integration, demands tight sequencing. For subs and suppliers, procurement and coordination meetings are where work gets won or lost right now. Bond backed districts that hit milestones and keep the community visible tend to come back with more capital programs. Staying aligned with the CM and district leadership here can open doors well beyond this campus.
Courtesy of McCarthy
