The Emporia Arts Council, currently located at 618 Mechanic St., will move to the 800 block of Commercial Street just north of the Granada Theatre. Over the past two years, they have raised $2.8 million for construction of a new center in downtown Emporia. Giri Nam/The Bulletin.

The Emporia Arts Council has raised $2.8 million in gifts and pledges over the last two years for a new building that will be located between 811 and 815 Merchant St., just north of the Granada Theatre.

“We’ve met our fundraising goals to start construction,” said Melissa Windsor, executive director of the EAC. “We’ll plan on starting construction in the next 30 days and it will be about a year long project.”

The fundraising campaign has drawn support from the entire community and surrounding areas with over 340 donors, Windsor said.

“It was beyond our hopes,” said Mel Storm, professor of English and former president of the EAC board. “People contributed. People came back and increased their pledges. People contributed multiple times. We’ve had donors come forward that had not contributed before.”

Two major donors helped meet the final budget requirements for the project.

“The Jones Trust issued a challenge matching grant back in last October,” Windsor said.

The Jones Trust matched what the EAC could raise up to $245,000. An anonymous donor helped with an additional $75,000.

“In the end of the August we were issued a second challenge gift from an anonymous donor that to help us finish out the campaign,” Windsor said. “They would give us $75,000 if we could raise the last $62,000 in 30 days. As of last Friday, we were successful and announced that we were able to meet that challenge in three weeks.”

However, the anonymous donor would like to stay anonymous.

“At the donor’s request we are not announcing who the donor was,” Windsor said. “They’ve chosen to remain anonymous and believe in the community.”

One of the main objectives of the new EAC building is to be more present in the community.

“We’re hoping to increase our presence in downtown Emporia and to enhance the arts and entertainment district in downtown Emporia,” Windsor said. “We know a number of businesses are starting to come to Emporia. It’s starting to grow.”

New features of the building will include a larger gallery, a larger art store with unique gifts and three art studios.

“It will provide a very good companion facility to the Granada Theatre,” Storm said. “It will provide opportunities for students

A clay studio, a small theater, a full kitchen, an art library and upgraded offices and equipment.

“We can host small performances,” Windsor said. “We can also host small groups, group meeting, as well as recitals.”

The EAC hosts a performing arts series that brings a variety of entertainers to several venues in Emporia including the Granada Theatre and Albert Taylor Hall, located in Plumb Hall.

“Every thing that the Arts Council brings to the community, will also have an educational component to it,” Windsor said. “We do free activities to area schools, free performances for area school children.”

Storm was impressed with the efforts of all of those involved in the project.

“We’re a relatively small city, which I think characterizes Emporia,” Storm said. “We’ve been able to fund a multi-million dollar arts complex. It says a great deal about the community.”

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