Community Impact – Page 42 – Knight Foundation

Program Area: Community Impact

Akron, Ohio — Nov. 15, 2018 — Akron Civic Theatre today announced plans to transform Akron’s Whitelaw Building into a vibrant new theatre, revitalizing a key corridor of Akron’s primary downtown entertainment and residential district and introducing new opportunities for Akron residents to meet and connect. The project is a collaboration with the Bowery Development Group and is supported by $4 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and $1 million from GAR Foundation.

The support forms part of the Bowery Redevelopment Project, an initiative that seeks to renovate and repurpose five empty buildings next to the Akron Civic Theatre on South Main Street, as a way to enliven and revitalize downtown. The Bowery Project will break ground tomorrow.

The Akron Civic Theatre has served as a downtown Akron cultural anchor since its opening in 1929; it now draws more than 135,000 people to Akron’s Main Street each year. With new support, one of the six buildings — the Whitelaw building, constructed in 1895 — will be granted new life as a vibrant, 225-capacity performance and flexible-use event space, operated by the Akron Civic Theatre as a complement to its historic 2,592-seat auditorium. The Civic Theatre’s restoration and expansion project, expected to have a total cost of $8.5 million, will also support the revitalization of the theatre’s Grand Lobby and entry arcade that began in 2002, create a multi-level outdoor deck to connect Main Street to public spaces in Locks 3 & 4, and replace the theater’s box office and administrative office.

In late 2016, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced the planned renovation by the Bowery Development Group of the historic Landmark Building and the adjacent five vacant structures connecting to Lock 3, now a downtown park that hosts community and cultural activities. These buildings, each vacant for a decade or more, will be transformed into mixed-use residential, office, retail, bar/restaurant and entertainment space.

“This neglected block of Main Street has served as a physical and psychological stumbling block for too long,” Horrigan said of the redevelopment. “The renovation of these buildings will add desirable residential and retail options that will activate this important section of downtown and complement investments in Locks 3 and 4 and the TIGER grant-funded renovation of Main Street. Most importantly, this project will catalyze additional investments and elevate Downtown Akron as a place where people want to live, businesses want to locate, and visitors want to invest their dining and entertainment dollars. And a stronger downtown means a stronger, more prosperous Akron.”

“The Civic Theatre is a cultural gem that draws people to the heart of our city,” said Kyle Kutuchief, Knight Foundation program director for Akron. “Its restoration will add new life to Main Street, strengthening a downtown beacon that will help energize the neighborhood and connect people to Akron and to each other.”

Locally-based GAR Foundation has also stepped forward with enthusiastic support. “This revitalization project gives overdue attention to our community’s front door on Main Street, in the heart of downtown Akron,” said Christine Mayer, president of GAR Foundation. “The Civic Theatre’s contribution to the local arts and culture sector continues to strengthen Akron’s identity as a vibrant and creative community.”

Additional support has been committed from the State of Ohio, Akron Reimagining the Civic Commons, Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation, Lehner Family Foundation, Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, Akron Civic Theatre Women’s Guild, Kenneth L. Calhoun Charitable Trust, GPD Group, and other leadership.  A total of $6.5 million has been raised for the project to date.

According to a recent study by Americans for the Arts, (Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 Report) the Civic currently generates an annual $8.1 million in economic activity by presenting 200 events annually. The expanded performance and event space will host 100 events each year and attract 15,000 people pushing the immediate and ongoing impact of the theater’s operations beyond $9 million.

“The Civic is an economic driver in the heart of downtown, and a cultural anchor in our community” said Candice Carlyon, president of the Akron Civic Theatre Board.  “We are deeply grateful for the support of the private sector, as well as that of the City of Akron, County of Summit, and, the Development Finance Authority of Summit County, without which this impactful project would not be possible.”

Following a strategic framework created in 2007, The Civic programs a mix of national, regional, and local entertainment, as well as community events ranging from weddings to graduations.  A similar mix will be featured in the smaller-capacity new space, while making the existing theater available for more larger scale productions.

“This project is the culmination of more than 10 years of focused and strategic work by the theater’s Board of Trustees and staff,” said Executive Director Howard Parr.“We look forward to talking about this throughout our community and to continuing and expanding the theater’s impact as this exciting plan becomes a reality.”

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.

About GAR Foundation

GAR Foundation was established in 1967 by Galen Roush, co-founder and chief executive officer of Roadway Express, and his wife Ruth Roush. GAR Foundation’s mission is to help Akron become smarter, stronger, and more vibrant. Visit www.garfoundation.org for more information.

About the Akron Civic Theatre

The Akron Civic Theater was built in 1929 by Marcus Loew and designed by famed theater architect, John Eberson.  The interior structure was fashioned after a Moorish castle featuring Mediterranean decor, including medieval carvings, authentic European antiques and Italian alabaster sculptures.  In June 2001, the Akron Civic Theatre underwent the most comprehensive restoration and expansion project in its history, whereby the theater was brought up to modern performance and patron standards.  The theater now attracts 135,000 people annually for nationally touring concerts, comedians, and family shows, as well as a wide variety of events featuring local and regional artists.  For more information visit www.akroncivic.com

CONTACTS:

Valerie Renner, Associate Director, Akron Civic Theatre, 330.535.3179, [email protected]

Howard Parr, Executive Director, Akron Civic Theatre, 330.535.3179, [email protected]

Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, Knight Foundation, 305-908-2646, [email protected] 

Dina Younis, Communications Manager, GAR Foundation, 330-576-2926, [email protected]

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To support the opening of the Minnesota Museum of American Art (the “M”) in a historic location in downtown St. Paul.

To program and execute an eight-month leadership development program for city transportation officials, to develop capacity to promote community engagement.

To support the general operations of the Funders’ Network through sponsorship of their annual conference in Miami for 2019.

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In 2014, The Chicago Community Trust held its inaugural On the Table, which was designed to bring people together in small mealtime conversations for the purpose of brainstorming innovative solutions to address their communities’ most pressing needs. Inspired by The Chicago Community Trust, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation took On the Table nationwide in 2017 with 10 community foundations serving as partners to implement the initiative in their regions. 

Through the support of the Knight Foundation, these community foundations organized thousands of conversations across their 10 regions with an estimated 40,000 participants. Out of the total number of participants, 12,182 responded to a post-conversation survey administered by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement. 

This report summarizes survey respondents’ answers to questions about their demographic background, what they discussed during conversations, and the impact of their conversations.[1] In addition, this report provides analysis and observations designed to help conveners, practitioners and hosts as they seek to increase the impact of future community conversations like On the Table.

Survey respondents’ self-reported demographics revealed that On the Table conversations were attended by people with a wide variety of backgrounds. Relative to local populations, respondents with less than a bachelor’s degree were by far the most underrepresented demographic group across all sites. Additional steps should be taken during planning, outreach and data collection to maximize diversity and inclusion in community conversations and expand the range of voices included in On the Table. 

A majority of respondents reported coming to the table to discuss and address important issues in their communities (68 percent) and learn from and listen to others (58 percent). In thousands of written comments, respondents reported discussing a myriad of topics. When IPCE grouped these comments, six themes emerged as the most prominent in all 10 sites: 

  • Equity and Social Inclusion
  • Economic Issues and Poverty
  • Education and Youth Development
  • Public Safety and Judicial System
  • Transportation
  • Housing and Homelessness

The prevalence of Equity and Social Inclusion, Economic Issues and Poverty, Education and Youth Development in diverse regions across the country suggests that if conveners hold a general, non-themed community conversation, they should expect participants to discuss topics related to these themes. Local context and priorities also matter. If transportation, for example, is a priority issue in an area then participants are likely to bring it up in conversation. Furthermore, focusing On the Table around specific topics can strongly influence the content of the conversation, as shown in Silicon Valley, where 82 percent of comments were related to housing and homelessness, which was the intentional focus of the initiative in this region.

[1] The report refers to respondents rather than participants because the results of the survey cannot be generalized beyond the respondent population.

A #LetsTalkPhilly conversation in 2017. Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Foundation.

The Highlights

On the Table conversations can have both immediate and long-term impacts on survey respondents and their communities. Survey respondents frequently reported that they were impacted by their On the Table conversations, with results showing that:

  • Most participants gained new understanding of how to address issues facing their community. The majority of people (58 percent) said they gained a somewhat-to-much better understanding of how to address issues in their community.
  • On the Table spurred new connections with neighbors and encouraged civic action. Many respondents reported making new connections with other respondents, including speaking with someone new (62 percent), making plans for future action (18 percent), and exchanging contact information (28 percent). Nearly 9 in 10 respondents (86 percent) said they are somewhat-to-very likely to take action after On the Table, with 40 percent saying they are very likely.
  • Knowledge is power. Learning about new ways to address community issues encouraged civic action, among both those who are very involved in their community (87 percent) and those who aren’t (72 percent). In contrast, those who said they did not gain a much better understanding of how to address issues in their community were not likely to take action after On the Table, both among those very involved in the community (48 percent) and those who aren’t (26 percent).

A Brief Description of Major Themes


Equity and Social Inclusion

The equity and social inclusion category uses a social justice lens to account for forms of exclusion and issues of access and equality for underserved groups. This category refers to youth access and engagement concerns, racism, LGBT inclusion, and issues of disparity as noted across income levels, racial groups, and neighborhoods.


Transportation

The transportation category refers to transportation access and transportation infrastructure.  


Economic Issues and Poverty

The economic issues and poverty category refers to economic development on the one hand and economic insecurity or poverty on the other. It covers unemployment and jobs as well as income inequality, wage, and workforce development issues.


Public Safety and Judicial System

The public safety and judicial system category may refer to the criminal justice system as well as public safety and crime, including instances of gang violence, gun violence, drugs, trafficking, police misconduct ,and how officials such as police can better provide community security.  


Education and Youth Development

The education and youth development category refers primarily to schools and students with additional focal points on mentoring and general youth development. It is also inclusive of other related topics such as parent involvement, after school programs, job training, and education research.


Housing and Homelessness

The housing and homelessness category primarily refers to homelessness and issues around home ownership and renting responsibilities, especially housing affordability. 



Analysis of survey data about impact suggests different strategies for inspiring action after On the Table conversations:

  • To increase post-conversation action, make sure participants are learning new ways that they can address community issues and are making specific plans for future action with each other. Learning and making plans are powerful and effective methods for inspiring action, so much so that they inspire respondents who are less involved in their community to say they will take action at similar rates to the most involved.
  • To increase participants’ understanding of how to address community issues and make specific plans for future collaboration, make sure conversations are solutions-oriented. Learning and making plans are most likely to happen for respondents who take part in solutions-oriented conversations. 

Conversations served as a catalyst for generating ideas and potential actions and created a space for participants to make personal connections so that they might find ways to ignite change with fellow residents. With the goal of bringing about greater local action, the insights in this report provide conversation organizers with actionable strategies to further the impact of future On the Table initiatives.

Read the full report.

To support the St. Paul Downtown Alliance to activate and improve key public spaces in downtown St. Paul.

To establish the first Mayor’s Smart Cities Institute, in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors and New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

To create and support a cohort of technology, education and library leaders within DPLA that are committed to embracing innovation and transformative change in public libraries .

To support two more years of the K880 Emerging City Champions, a program that supports, networks and funds 20 young people as they execute projects to strengthen public life in Knight communities

To support the Johns Hopkins University Center for Government Excellence in providing technical assistance to pre-identified projects in Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia and San Jose that engage residents around data analytics to understand and address specific civic problems.