Columbus approves conditional $3 million grant for Crump Theatre

Columbus City Council voted 9-0 on Oct. 6 to approve up to $3 million in public funding for the Crump Center for the Performing Arts redevelopment. The grant is tied to more than $6 million in previously awarded state READI 2.0 funding, but the city says it will not release the money until several conditions are met.

The grant would come from the Central Allocation Area’s tax-increment financing revenues. The city says the local contribution is required to access the READI 2.0 award. The approval authorizes a grant capped at $3 million; it does not mean the funds have been paid or that construction has begun.

Before releasing the grant, the city requires final approval of required state grants, confirmation of pledged private donations and amended nonprofit articles establishing the recipient as a neighborhood development corporation. The city did not identify which state grants still need final approval or set a timetable for completing those conditions.

Funding and project plans

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission authorized the grant on Sept. 21, subject to City Council approval. The city says commission expenditures above $500,000 require council approval.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation lists the Crump restoration and expansion as a $21.85 million project. WJCP reports that the READI 2.0 award is $6.1 million and that construction hard and soft costs are expected to total about $20 million. Those figures cover different scopes: the project value is not the same measure as construction costs.

The plan calls for rehabilitating the theater, restoring its 1941 facade and adding a three-story structure on the east side for mechanical systems, green rooms and administrative space. WJCP reports a planned venue capacity of about 900. The city describes a range of 750 to 1,000, depending on event configuration.

WJCP reports that bidding is targeted for spring 2027, followed by a 14-to-16-month buildout, with a fall 2028 opening target. Those dates are prospective, and the grant conditions must be satisfied before the TIF funds are released.

Resident raises sustainability concern

The city’s account of the council meeting says Crump Theatre supporters attended. It also records one resident questioning whether the project would be financially sustainable, arguing that city support was driven by nostalgia rather than sound economics and urging the council to reject the grant.

The project is the Crump Theatre redevelopment in downtown Columbus, Indiana. If the funding conditions are met, the nonprofit Crump Center for the Performing Arts would receive the grant toward the theater’s restoration and expansion.