At 40^th and Walnut Streets in West Philadelphia, there stands a 100-year-old former church. Its early 20^th century, neo-classical architecture makes it stand out among the surrounding buildings, but what the archaic exterior beauty doesn’t convey is the wealth of contemporary programming, which happens inside The Rotunda.

For 10 years, The Rotunda has provided an alternative space for the University of Pennsylvania and the surrounding community to come take part in a wide variety of cultural experiences, like film and video screenings, dance, theater and its ever-astounding nights of free jazz (free in cost, but also sometimes of the free jazz genre). It has a schedule of regular events, which include “Andrew’s Video Vault” showing classic film and experimental work, “Ars Nova Workshop” jazz concert series, “Black Women’s Arts Festival,” “Gate,” which specializes in ambient and electronic music, “The Gathering”  — Philadelphia’s longest running hip-hop event, Knight Arts grantee “Philly Youth Poetry Movement” slams, “Puppet Uprising” cabarets and “Womynsfest,” which showcases women’s music, dance and art events.

The center of the round building houses a stage and a sizeable seating area. Overhead are musty, wooden beams and a high ceiling. Wrapping around the second floor is an open balcony area and a number of colorful murals along its outward facing walls. From these locations one can visit on most any night of the week for a wide-assortment of performances.

On March 7, the stage was graced by the talents of musicians Marshall Allen, Denis Beuret, Elliott Levin, Weasel Walter and Marc Edwards. The constantly churning drumbeats of Edwards and Walter charged the atmosphere with energy, while Levin and Allen screeched saxophone and electronic EVI between the beats. Swiss trombonist Beuret belted brass notes but also manipulated his sounds through a laptop, creating thick textures of echoes and bass.

This past week, The Rotunda hosted Ars Nova Workshop for a noisy night of electronic music on March 15 with the band Aster and Mario Diaz de Leon. On Sunday, it held a new musical drama by Kevin Stackhouse entitled “Judith: The Other Shakespeare.” This Wednesday, March 21, it will hold a night of poetry, dance and song in honor of National Her-story Month, which also includes an open mic.

Throughout the summer, The Rotunda has a history of taking to the streets with its summer concert series and street performances, so stay tuned to its calendar for all of its upcoming programs and events. You’ll be glad you did.

The Rotunda is located at 4014 Walnut St. in University City.