Knight Foundation gives UA $20 million to renovate and rename downtown Polsky Building
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The Knight Foundation is giving the University of Akron $20 million to renovate and rename classroom and learning space at the downtown Polsky Building into a “hub of civic engagement.”
The foundation announced the award, along with $11 million in other grants, at its annual philanthropic event in support of the arts in Akron on Sunday evening. The foundation said the newly renovated Polsky Building will bear the names of its founding brothers: John S. and James L. Knight.
The Polsky Building, designed by New York City architects and finished in 1930, was a premier downtown shopping center on Main Street across from the old O’Neil’s Building. Polsky's department store closed in the late 1970s. The building sat vacant for nine years until 1987, when The Prudential Insurance Co. gifted the art deco-style building to the University of Akron.
The building, according to the university, currently provides space for up to 600 faculty and 2,000 students, including classrooms, offices, a food court, bookstore, UA Archival Services, and the high school students in Akron Public School’s Early College program.
The $20 million gift will be used “to open the interior of the building to invite people into a new and dynamic space,” the foundation said in a press release Sunday night. The new space will cater to “entrepreneurship, community collaboration, artistic performances and learning,” all with cutting-edge technology.
“This investment will transform a dormant building into a vibrant gateway that opens the university to Main Street,” Kyle Kutuchief, director of Knight’s program in Akron, said in the release. “As a University of Akron graduate, I have seen firsthand how the school is committed to the community. The new building, named after the foundation, will be yet another step in reinvigorating Akron, becoming a great civic asset for downtown and fostering more collaboration between the university and residents.”
The project is an extension of the university and Knight Foundation’s shared vision to connect UA, its students and mission with downtown — a mission that harks back to the late 1980s when UA acquired the building in a plan to cross the train tracks and expand its footprint into downtown.
Winners of Knight Foundation grants
The Knight Foundation also announced the following awards at its annual event Sunday:
Akron Art Museum — $7 million for physical and technical infrastructure, and to create a gallery space for digital artwork.
National Center for Choreography — $1.5 million to create an endowment and support the first five years of the NCC Akron Choreography Prize to honor local artists.
ArtsNow — $1 million to match funds from other philanthropists in support of the Akron Cultural Plan adopted by the Akron City Council in 2020 and to provide technical support to the Akron Black Artist Guild.
Knight New Work Akron — $1 million to commission Akron-based artists for technology-based works.
Knight Digital Transformation Fund — $750,000 in operational technology support for Akron artists and emerging arts organizations.
Knight Foundation committed to arts, artists in Akron
“Real change in community is made possible by long-term commitment and clear-eyed vision,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of Knight Foundation, in the press release. “Since our founding in 1950, we’ve been committed to building a city of Akron where social and economic opportunities abound because all residents have a voice and are bound together by art and a culture of community. This latest set of investments is testament to our belief in Akron’s future.”
“Akron is a city that understands and recognizes the role the arts play in creating a community where people want to live, work and raise their families,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president of Knight’s arts program, in the release. “As technology has become a fundamental force in the creation, dissemination and experience of art it has become essential for artists and arts and cultural institutions to rethink the ways they connect to people, whether in person or through digital platforms. Enabling artists and arts organizations to experiment, enhance expertise and attract and retain audiences is precisely why we are investing in key arts organizations and launching programs that support innovation in the arts in Akron.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Knight Foundation grants UA $20 million for Polsky Bulding renovation
