COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Crump Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) announced Monday that Indianapolis-based architecture and design firm DKGR has been selected to lead the design and planning of the historic Crump Theatre’s transformation into a modern, 750-seat performing arts and community venue.
The selection of DKGR follows a competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process that attracted interest from regional and national firms specializing in historic renovation and adaptive reuse.
Three finalist firms presented at the Crump in August, and feedback on each was collected. Officials said that DKGR’s proven expertise in breathing new life into heritage structures, blending preservation with forward-thinking design, distinguished them as the clear choice for Columbus’s most ambitious cultural redevelopment in decades.
“DKGR has an impressive portfolio of award-winning adaptive reuse projects that honor the past while creating spaces for contemporary cultural and civic life,” said Steve Sanders, Project Encore Manager. “Their vision aligns perfectly with the Crump’s next chapter—connecting our history to a thriving, creative future that attracts and retains talent, and stimulates our downtown economy.”
The Crump’s revival has been identified as a near-term catalyst site in the recently published Columbus Downtown 2030 plan, underscoring its role in driving downtown vitality and regional cultural growth. This aligns with the theatre’s position within both the Envision Columbus (2019) and the Arts and Culture Feasibility Study (2024), which collected community feedback and made similar recommendations to the Crump’s potential for our region.
As planning continues, the Crump remains active with select programming and cultural partnerships. The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic has chosen the venue as a setting for its Harmony and Glow Candlelight Concert Series, bringing intimate, atmospheric performances to downtown Columbus.
Originally opened in 1889, the Crump Theatre is Indiana’s oldest surviving theater in operation and a cornerstone of downtown Columbus’s cultural identity. After decades of closure and volunteer-led preservation efforts, the Crump Center for the Performing Arts aims to reopen in 2028 as a regional hub for the performing arts, live entertainment, and civic gatherings, connecting Columbus’s architectural heritage with its future as a creative destination.
Design work with DKGR will advance through 2025, with capital campaign efforts set to launch in Q4 2025 and to be shovel-ready by next summer. The campaign aims to raise the necessary funds to begin construction in early fall of 2026 and create an operating endowment to support the building and operations into the future.
The Crump Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and revitalizing the historic Crump Theatre as a multi-use cultural and community venue. The CCPA is led by a volunteer board representing Columbus’s arts, education, business, and civic sectors, in partnership with Heritage Fund and Columbus Capital Foundation.
