Well, the new, controversial High School for the Visual and Performing Arts is here and about to open with Suzanne Blake as its principal. The Downtown News' Ryan Vaillancourt gives us a tour of the 230,000-square-foot campus, a recap of its troubles and an outline of its future.

“There were gasps over the price, which soared to $232 million,” Vaillancourt begins. “There were both acclaim and criticism for its attention-grabbing design by a high-profile Austrian architect. There was the long delay in hiring a principal, including two would-be leaders who turned down the job.”

Central High School No. 9, as the complex on Grand Avenue near the Four Level Interchange is formally called, was given $5 million by Eli Broad, who became less enamored with the project when his desire to have it become a charter school was ignored. Now that the grownups have stopped fighting over the project, it's time to see what the students will do with their expensive, audaciously designed school.