Columbus Indiana — Organizers are ready to raise the curtain on the next act of the historic Crump Theatre as a performing arts center in downtown Columbus. Newly launched “Project Encore,” an initiative of Heritage Fund, is reimagining the future of the 136-year-old theater as a multipurpose venue to serve and entertain generations for years to come. Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, with the support of building owner Columbus Capital Foundation, has commissioned project manager Steve Sanders of Stephen Sanders Consulting to lead Project Encore, building on the past several years of significant grassroots volunteer efforts to stabilize and revamp the iconic theater and respond to community input supportive of the desire for more local performing arts and a larger renovation effort for The Crump.
“Project Encore is the next building block to restore The Crump’s position back to the cultural community hub it was well over a century ago,” Sanders said. “The building has withstood decades of neglect only because of the selfless efforts of volunteers, donors and philanthropic individuals who have always believed in its potential for a comeback. Now the exciting work of bringing our vision of providing something entirely new for Columbus out of one of our oldest assets can begin!”
The theater, believed to be the oldest still in operation in the state, has been the subject of several community conversations and studies about its potential to play a key role in the city’s downtown revitalization, including being within the area of focus of the current Columbus Downtown 2030 Strategic Plan. Heritage Fund commissioned a comprehensive study last year of the demand for live entertainment and performing arts in the community, which included regional market data and an inventory of the city’s current venues. Consultants Theatre Projects Inc. determined that rather than investing in a new performing arts center, Columbus should focus on its current catalog of underutilized venues – including The Crump – that could be refreshed and programmed to satisfy local and regional market needs for entertainment.
“The Crump has been a fixture in our downtown streetscape for over 135 years. Since its decline in the 1970s and ’80s, we’ve studied it multiple times to better understand what we can and should do with it,” said Tracy Souza, Heritage Fund president and CEO. “In the past 18 months we’ve done a deep dive into the performing arts needs of our region through professional surveying and 2
market data collection to determine how The Crump fits into that picture, and we feel confident that it can play a vital role for generations to come.”
Project Encore is working on detailed planning to transform the space into one that will be viable for year-round live entertainment. Plans for the 700- to 750-seat venue include a fully operational balcony, expanded lobby areas
and outdoor areas, event space, state-of-the-art lighting and sound and
programming for regional touring acts.
With renewed local interest in performing arts, Sanders is hoping Project Encore means a reinvigorated new act for the legendary Crump itself.
A Downtown History
Crump’s “New Theatre,” owned by John S. Crump, opened in 1889 behind Keith’s Arcade after its original location at Fourth and Washington streets burned down years before. With the success of the theater, one of the city’s first for opera and vaudeville, it eventually expanded toward Third Street, taking over the entire property. The next major renovation in the early 1920s began The Crump’s long history as a movie theater. The iconic art deco facade that still exists today was installed during an early 1940s renovation, which marked the last major investment in the building.After the opening of the original Commons Mall in the early 1970s, which included two modern movie cinemas and a performance space only a block away from The Crump, the decline of the theater began. The building was acquired in 1992 by Columbus Capital Foundation to safeguard the property until a plan for its future was determined.
The theater ceased operations as a dollar theater in 1997 after several mechanical issues became too costly to repair and eventually closed its doors in 2014.But interest in restoring the historic theater has remained.
“There have always been people interested in The Crump’s preservation. There is something nostalgic and almost magical about the building — especially for many of us who have personal childhood memories there,” said Hutch Schumaker, board chair of Columbus Capital Foundation.
Grassroots Saviors
Consecutive facility managers Rovene Quigley and Jessica Schnepp helped to ensure the building was secure and opened to the public for occasional events and led “Save The Crump” and “The Crump Project” fundraising and volunteer rehab efforts.
Public interest in seeing the shuttered Crump come back to life peaked in 2023 after the theater met state requirements to reopen its doors to host events in its current rustic state.
Sanders credits dedicated Crump volunteers and supporters with setting the stage for a successful next act for the theater.
“The volunteer efforts from our community and local businesses and organizations, combined with generous donations to fund project sprints and pay the bills, are the only reason the building is inhabitable today,” Sanders said. “Although there is much to be done to make the building fully functional, Jess has managed an incredible network of volunteers and material donors to transform the historic space into something where people can now envision its potential.”
Grassroots support also has included volunteer work by local companies, such as Toyota Material Handling, which has logged nearly 5,000 volunteer community service hours for demolition work, cleaning and painting in the theater. Other local businesses and organizations including Neuroversity, Indiana War Memorial & Museum, Superior Drywall, CMR Electrical, architect Jeff Marshall, My House, Beck Rocker law firm, KAABS Restorations and several more have supplied discounts or donations on professional labor and materials for the cleanup work. Fundraising efforts to date have supported roof repairs, an ADA platform and materials to reupholster donated seats for the main level. This volunteer effort was formally recognized last month by the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce as the 2024 Community Project of the Year.
The Demand for Entertainment
New performing arts venues can range from $12 million to more than $100 million largely dependent upon size and finish. Renovations of historic venues can be more economical as well as more appealing to audiences wanting a truly unique experience that can’t be replicated with modern construction.
With the opening of nearby Brown County’s successful 2,000-seat venue in 2019, the Theatre Projects study determined an investment in something that large in Columbus would hurt ticket prices for consumers at both locations. With capacity of around 750 seats, The Crump would be able to host more touring artists at a higher frequency than any other venue in the community and directly benefit the downtown economy.
To test the data on the market’s appetite for entertainment, Sanders worked with Columbus Area Arts Council, Heritage Fund, Bartholomew County Public Library, and Upland Brewing to produce a concert with national touring artists Taylor Goldsmith and MC Taylor at the former North Christian Church in March. The show billed as “The Oil Can,” a nod to the community nickname for the unique six-sided structure, sold out at 480 tickets.
To prove the viability of Columbus as a destination for performing arts, the show had limited advertising on an Indianapolis radio station and the artists’ social accounts and websites. This resulted in approximately 35 percent of tickets sold locally, with the remainder from around Indiana and out of state. Sanders said the success of ticket sales as well as post-show feedback helped validate the theory of the local market’s potential to do more.
“What we showed was that if we make an effort, we can bring a regular cadence of high-quality music and their fans to town,” Sanders said. “Now imagine in addition to 480 people occasionally attending shows in a neighborhood north of town, 750 people at a time attended shows downtown. There would be a very tangible impact to our downtown vitality.” Project Encore has engaged the Downtown Merchants Association, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, as well as the Columbus Area Visitors Center to discuss a revitalized Crump’s potential as a performing arts center in the downtown area. “The restoration of The Crump Theatre and the addition of a historic live entertainment venue will be a game-changer for Columbus and the surrounding region. Entertainment is a powerful driver of tourism contributing to economic growth of a community. A fully restored, programmed Crump Theatre would not only honor our community’s rich architectural and cultural history but also create a new reason for visitors to discover Columbus,” said Misty Weisensteiner, executive director of the Columbus Area Visitors Center. “It would complement our tourism strategy by adding an authentic, vibrant, and year-round entertainment experience that supports local businesses, fosters community pride and attracts overnight visitors who want to explore everything our area has to offer.”
Raising the Curtain on Project Encore
In January, Heritage Fund awarded a $50,000 grant, matched by private funders, to establish Project Encore. Work is currently underway to create a stand-alone 501(c)3 nonprofit entity and form its board of directors in advance of an upcoming capital campaign. The campaign will be launched as project estimates and operating budget projections are finalized. Initial concept renderings, to be released in the coming weeks, have been commissioned from two design firms as well as a team of graduate students to help generate fresh perspectives of a Crump Center for the Performing Arts.
For more information about the Crump Theatre and Project Encore, please visit www.thecrump.org.
