Donation to Waterville arts center brings project to next phase

Photo / Maureen Milliken 93 Main St. in Waterville is being developed into an arts center by Waterville Creates! and Colby College. City Hall is to the right.

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By Staff

A donation from a longtime Colby College supporter has brought fundraising for the planned downtown arts center past the halfway mark and into its next phase, Colby College announced Tuesday.

Paul J. Schupf, who last year donated $2 million for the contemporary art gallery that will be at the core of the art center, has made a donation to support the construction of the center, at 93 Main St. While Colby wouldn't say how much Shupf has donated, the project now has half of the $20 million needed to complete the project, spokeswoman Ruth Jackson said.

The arts center, which will be called the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, is a collaboration between Colby and Waterville Creates! and was first announced in March 2018.

"This gift launches the project into its next phase — a more detailed design process that will lead to a beautiful new space for Waterville residents and visitors," the news release from the college said.

The center will also tie into the redesign of adjacent Castonguay Square "to create a lively outdoor space for complementary programs and activities," the release said.

The preliminary design, created by an architectural team of Susan T. Rodriguez of New York City and OPAL of Belfast, includes a contemporary gallery of the Colby College Museum of Art on the ground level; three screening rooms to bring the Maine Film Center, Railroad Square Cinema, and the Maine International Film Festival to downtown; Common Street Arts gallery; and multidisciplinary educational spaces.

The concept for the 32,000-square-foot building preserves its original brick facade "while creating a Main Street presence for the Waterville Opera House." The design would move the entrance to the opera house, which underwent a $5 million renovation in 2012, to Main Street from its current location, a side door to City Hall, which is behind the building. The opera house is on the second floor of City Hall. The design would connect the two buildings.

The center is part of a $100 million investment Colby has made in downtown, including building the 100,000-square-foot Alfond Commons mixed use building and buying and renovating several other buildings.

Photo / Maureen Milliken

Castonquay Square's redesign will complement the new Waterville arts center at 93 Main St., right, developers say.

'Visibly more vibrant'

“Our collective efforts to bring new life to Main Street have moved from conceptual to tangible,” said Colby President David A. Greene in the release. “Downtown is visibly more vibrant than it was just a few years ago, and Paul Schupf’s incredible gift adds to this momentum, making possible a leading center for the arts at Main Street’s core that will be a catalyst for the city’s cultural and economic expansion. I am so grateful to Paul, long an expert on and benefactor to the arts, who made Colby his adopted home and the future of Waterville his passion.”

“This project will strengthen the arts and cultural institutions that have enriched our community for decades and have a tremendous economic impact on the city,” said Shannon Haines, president and CEO of Waterville Creates! “By bringing a diverse mix of arts programming together in one beautiful, modern facility, we will enliven downtown during the day and in the evening hours as well. We are so thankful for Mr. Schupf’s investment in Waterville’s future.”

Schupf, an emeritus member of the Board of Governors at the Colby College Museum of Art, has been a supporter of Colby over many decades.

“I find it invigorating to see plans for Main Street taking shape, particularly the efforts to create an arts and cultural renaissance downtown,” said Schupf in teh release. “Colby’s unique culture and innovative spirit are making a lasting impact on Waterville, bringing new sources of economic growth to the region.”

Schupf has been one of Colby’s greatest supporters since being introduced to Colby through the Colby College Museum of Art in 1985. His contributions include naming gifts for the Paul J. Schupf Scientific Computing Center, the Paul J. Schupf Wing for the Works of Alex Katz, the Paul J. Schupf Sculpture Court at the Colby museum. He was also the lead donor for the Anthony-Mitchell-Schupf residence hall, and, most recently, he created the Paul J. Schupf Colby College/Memorial Sloan Kettering Internship, and named the Lorey/Schupf Handbell Choir. A serious art collector, Schupf has also donated numerous works to the Colby museum by artists Alex Katz, Richard Serra, Edward Ruscha, Christo, and many others.

“Paul Schupf’s generosity toward the Colby College Museum of Art has been transformational,” said Director and Chief Curator Sharon Corwin. “And now, he is doing for Waterville what he did for Colby — making possible an exceptional art experience for all. For decades he has supported the arts at Colby, and now his vision extends to the region. He is a dear friend, and we are forever grateful to him.”