The Akron Art Museum kicked off a major renovation project Friday to restore and transform its historic 1899 building, the original home of the Akron post office.

Create the Future, a $13 million capital campaign, is designed to transform the building by adding and expanding gallery spaces for immersive, interactive exhibitions. The addition of a dedicated classroom and hands-on learning spaces will increase the museum’s capacity for school tours. 

“This is more than a renovation,” said Jon Fiume, the museum’s director and CEO, at a Friday morning event held to publicly announce the project. “It’s about what we believe the arts can do, how they shape us, challenge us, inspire us and bring us together.”

The J.M. Smucker Idea Machine, a multigenerational creative studio designed to foster collaboration, play and intergenerational learning, is a highlight of the renovation project where play and learning will be fostered.

The Akron Art Museum kicked off a major renovation project Friday to restore and transform its historic 1899 building, the original home of the Akron post office. Create the Future, a $13 million capital campaign, is designed to transform the building by adding and expanding gallery spaces for immersive, interactive exhibitions.
The Akron Art Museum kicked off a major renovation project Friday to restore and transform its historic 1899 building, the original home of the Akron post office. Create the Future, a $13 million capital campaign, is designed to transform the building by adding and expanding gallery spaces for immersive, interactive exhibitions. (Photo courtesy of the Akron Art Museum)

New space to play, create, think

It is intended to “bring art close, inviting you to play, create, think and make connections,” according to a video about Idea Machine on the museum’s website. “This is a space for those who crave an experience that goes beyond just looking.” 

Visitors will find spaces in the Idea Machine that can be explored and manipulated, allowing them to design their own experiences and make “creative memories.”

Other parts of the renovation include structural, accessibility and technology upgrades to help preserve the building and make sure all visitors feel welcome.

The project is intended to increase the museum’s economic and community impact as well with an anticipated doubling of the number of annual visitors to the museum, according to a news release.

Akron Art Museum board chair Anusha Gibson speaks to a group gathered at the Akron Art Museum on Friday, July 11, to mark the kickoff of a $13 million capital campaign to renovate the museum's historic 1899 building. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)
Akron Art Museum board chair Anusha Gibson speaks to a group gathered at the Akron Art Museum on Friday, July 11, to mark the kickoff of a $13 million capital campaign to renovate the museum’s historic 1899 building. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)

The red brick Italian Renaissance Revival-style building fronts East Market Street at the corner of South High Street and has been the museum’s home since 1981. In 2007, the museum tripled its size when it opened the John S. and James L. Knight Building, which adjoins the 1899 building. It was designed by Austrian architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au.

The community that’s helping to make the renovation possible, Fiume said, is “helping us build something lasting, something alive. Something that will matter to a child in 2026, again in 2056, and hopefully again in 2126. Yes, another 100 years.”

The museum will remain open to the public throughout construction — exhibits and programs will continue uninterrupted.

To learn more about the project, visit: akronartmuseum.org/create-the-future

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Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.