 Wortham Theater Center officially opens on May 9, 1987, with a spectacular inaugural gala. Among the stars on hand are Hildegard Behrens, Tommy Tune, Nadja Salerno-Sonneberg, Art Buchwald, Diahann Carroll and emcee Tony Randall.- Houston mayor Kathryn J. Whitmire and other City officials join a curious public in building tours during a community open house event on May 10, 1987.
- Society for the Performing Arts is the first company to put on shows in Wortham Center, presenting cabaret star Bobby Short, the Juilliard String Quartet and Robert Wilson's "Knee Plays" from Einstein on the Beach in the Cullen Theater in the week after the opening. Across the Grand Foyer, in the Brown Theater, SPA fills the hall for 10 days with a modern dance program entitled "Tango Argentino."
- Houston Ballet begins its first season at Wortham Center on September 2, 1987. Janie Parker and Li Cunxin star in the world premiere of Ben Stevenson's new production of Romeo and Juliet.
- Houston Grand Opera begins its first season at Wortham Center on October 15, 1987. Plácido Domingo and Mirella Freni star in Aida.
- Da Camera of Houston makes its first presentation at Wortham Center on October 1, 1988. Violinist Uri Pianka is one of the performers in a chamber music concert in the Cullen Theater.
- More than 1 million rose-colored bricks from Henderson, Texas, were used in the construction of Wortham Center. The building is trimmed in red granite.
- Wortham Center is huge. The Romanesque arch at the front entryway is 88 feet tall; a six-story building could fit into the Grand Foyer; the roof is as large as three football fields and has seven different levels.
 The modified Bayreuth Pits in both theaters place the orchestra partially below the stage, optimizing the balance between voice and music and putting the audience close to the stage.- There is more then three-quarters of a mile of catwalks and walkways above the Brown Theater. With 400 miles of wire and 60 miles of conduit, Wortham has the same amount of wiring as a 75-story office tower.
- The Helen Hayes chandelier in the Green Room was installed in 1911 in New York's Fulton Theater, later renamed Helen Hayes Theater in 1955. Later, during demolition of the theater, it was purchased by Houstonians Billy and Janie Price and donated to Wortham Center.
- Albert Paley's steel sculptures, pictured to the right, near the grand staircase collectively weigh 30 tons. Some of the individual pieces of art have as many as 400 pieces of steel.
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