Adrian College has recently been awarded a donation of $625,000 from The Sage Foundation for the second part of the restoration in Downs Hall. During the spring 2010 commencement, an honorary degree was given to the President of The Sage Foundation, Melissa Sage Fadim, for the foundation’s support.
Throughout the years, The Sage Foundation has been generous in its donations to AC, not only for the restoration of Down’s Hall, but also for the establishment of a counseling center and numerous scholarships.
The Sage Foundation is an independent charitable organization stationed in Brighton, Michigan. They offer grants, gifts, and loans to organizations, as well as scholarships. AC was originally awarded $500,000 for the first part of the Downs Hall restoration. This restoration included an elevator, side entrance doors with ramps and walks to make Downs Hall accessible to everyone, new windows, roof replacement, and a remodeling of the lobby. This first gift also included cleaning the woodwork, new carpets, and new lighting.
“The second part of the restoration has not been decided, though we believe most [of it] will involve the actual theater. We’ve met several times; we are simply trying to figure out how far the money will take us. Also undecided is when the official construction will start,” said Annissa Morgensen-Lindsay, assistant professor of theatre chair.
Downs Hall was built in 1860, and is the only building remaining from Adrian’s original campus. It is registered as a Michigan Historic Site, under the name Chapel Hall. The original campus stretched across Madison St., which is the main address of AC, and all other buildings behind Downs Hall used to be a forest. Students visiting AC last summer recall Downs Hall being a complete mess due to construction that lasted several months. Theatre students were glad for the first restoration and are anticipating the second.
“There are certain things I hope don’t change in the Downs Theater. For instance, throughout the years, actors and students have written, painted, or carved their names on doors or walls. The uniqueness and intimacy that Downs brings is important to preserve,” said freshman Breaon Canady, musical theater major.
The history of Downs must be preserved without being completely rewritten.