Downtown Columbus is home to Indiana’s oldest remaining theater. The historic Crump has been the subject of several conversations and studies about its potential to play a key role in our downtown revitalization, including the current Columbus Downtown 2030 Strategic Planning work underway. 

Throughout the past four years, volunteer work, as well as several small construction sprints, have cleaned and stabilized the building allowing for rustic events, tours, and live performances. The success of these grass roots efforts to ‘save the Crump’ have allowed for the public to once again peer inside and experience something unique to Columbus energizing them to voice their support for a larger renovation effort throughout community surveys.

This unifying demand from across our community for another ‘act’ or performance of the Crump Theatre itself, makes it appropriate to call this phase of the project an “Encore”. 

In order for the Crump to become a viable option for year round live entertainment, there is much work to be done to take it from its rustic state to a finished turn-key programmable venue. 2025 is a critical year for the building as it begins the three-year ‘wind-down’ of funding subsidies from Columbus Capital Foundation toward its operational budget.