Arts Center at Dunham

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Arts Center at Dunham = Community, Art & More!

The Arts Center at Dunham is housed in one of three remaining buildings of the Dunham Hospital complex, the historic Dunham Arts Building. Dunham Hospital was the first municipally owned tuberculosis sanatorium in the United States, dating back to 1879. The Dunham Arts Building served as the arts, recreation and occupational therapy center for the residents and patients of the former Dunham Hospital. A splendid example of art deco architecture designed by Samuel Hannaford and Sons, the same firm that designed Memorial Hall, Music Hall and City Hall, the building features a large auditorium, terrazzo floors, bronze entryway, art deco fixtures and lower level classrooms. When the hospital closed its doors in the early 1970s, the property was converted to a park managed by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and was renamed the Dunham Recreation Complex, honoring its history.

In July 2012, Sunset Players, the resident theatre group since 1980, signed a 25-year renewable lease with the City of Cincinnati for the Dunham Arts Building, saving it from probable demolition. The Dunham Arts Building has transitioned into “the Arts Center at Dunham”, a fine arts center for the west side of Cincinnati. The upper level of the building, a 350-seat performance venue, was officially reopened in the fall of 2012. The lower level is being renovated for studio and programming space. Several studio spaces are completed and have housed a variety of local artists.

During the last four years, the Arts Center has hosted performances and workshops by Playhouse in the Park, Ensemble Theatre, Elementz Studio Kre8v dance group, Madcap Puppets, ROKCincy, the Cincinnati Ballet and a German brass quartet from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, all at no cost to attendees. Additionally, the Center has become the performance home of the Queen City Opera. Our mission is to restore the place of the arts in the historic West Side for the Greater Cincinnati region. Combining the Arts Center at Dunham offerings with the Dunham Recreation Center programming, the Cincinnati Reds Miracle Ball field and the aquatic center, the Dunham Recreation Complex is a unique community arts and sports venue in Cincinnati.

Under the terms of the lease agreement, the Arts Center at Dunham organization, under the umbrella of the Sunset Players, assumed responsibility for management of the facility. Current challenges include raising funds for renovation, restoration, long-term building maintenance and ongoing monthly expenses. Well over $100,000 has already been raised and spent for repairs and upgrades to the facility, but more than $750,000 in work remains unfinished. This includes the second phase of the exterior façade repair/restoration, phase 2 of the HVAC system replacement, and wheelchair accessibility. Long neglected, these issues need to be addressed ASAP!

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