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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Not a takeover, just a makeover: Walker Theatre poised for massive upgrades, new programming

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Exciting changes are on the way for a place that has been a longtime anchor of the African-American community in Indianapolis. 

Over the next year, the Madam Walker Theatre Center (MWTC) will undergo “state of the art” upgrades that will help it thrive well into the future. 

“We want to make sure that the Walker is able to provide community support and programs for generations to come,” said Joyce Q. Rogers, chair of the MWTC Board of Directors. 

To reach that goal, MWTC has announced a new partnership with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to launch changes needed for modernization.

Some of those adjustments include urgent repairs to the MWTC’s 90-year-old building, a variety of new programs for guests and a strategic rebranding campaign that includes a new mission and vision.

Even the MWTC’s name will be changed to the Madame Walker Legacy Center to reflect both its past glory and future promise. 

At the same time, Lilly Endowment has announced that it will support the partnership with grants totaling more than $15.3 million, which will be used for a full renovation of the MWTC’s building with state-of-the-art equipment, operational system updates and exterior improvements.

“This is a huge start for us, and it is just the beginning,” Rogers said. 

Creation of the partnership between MWTC and IUPUI comes after the center spent two years working on efforts to increase sustainability and economic viability in the community.

“We developed the strategic plan because we knew that the Walker would have a difficult time surviving under current conditions much longer,” Rogers said.

She added that the most pressing concern is problems with the aging building that come from challenges such as a leaking roof, bursting pipes and poor circulation of air in the summer and heat in the winter. Last week, for example, the MWTC had to close and tenants were moved due to bursting pipes.

“The physical situation of the venue has definitely impacted the programmatic piece,” Rogers said.

Still, she added, she credits the professionalism of employees, who are often able to make quick adjustments so that MWTC events such as this week’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day are successful. 

As part of the MWTC’s strategic plan, six months of planning for innovations will occur. Then all operations and tenants will be relocated for appromataly 12 months as repairs are made to the original building. 

During this transitional time, MWTC and its partners will invite people in the community to help plan new programs.

“We have looked at how the Walker is functioning today, and what are those things that we need to do to make sure that the Walker is not just functioning and surviving, but that it is vibrant and a true asset to the community,” Rogers said. 

 

Not a takeover, just a makeover 

 

Although IUPUI will have a significant voice in the partnership, MWTC leaders say that guidance and ownership of its initiatives will not change. It will still have leadership rooted in the African-American community. 

“Legally, the Madame Walker organization and the board still owns the building and the property,” Rogers said. “But we now have a partnership that has resources, programming and projects. We know the university could probably fill that theater 365 days a year. However, we don’t want that and they don’t want that. We want the community to be involved 100 percent and to help fill that theatre.” 

IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar said the partnership between MWTC and IUPUI is part of the university’s mission to be engaged in the community and is a win for both institutions, who happen to be located near each other downtown.

“Creating opportunities for revitalization and to bring everyone together is on top of our list,” Paydar said. “So when you look at Madam C.J. Walker, who she was, the legacy that she’s left and the impact that she had on Indianapolis, I think that this is within our mission to partner with MWTC to honor her legacy while energizing the community with exciting new programs.” 

Board member Stephanie L. Nixon, a local consultant, said the board is sensitive to residents concerned about the impact of gentrification in the area near IUPUI and the MWTC. She attended a church that was displaced by construction related to IUPUI’s expansion. 

“We have heard about the angst and the rumors about a takeover,” she said. “However, we will continue to have

100 percent ownership of the building and we simply want to enhance what we can offer to the community.”

Some observers may see the partnership between the Walker and IUPUI as ideal, given that both institutions are located downtown and have experience in managing the growth that comes from addressing the needs of a niche clientele. 

Rogers added that the original incorporation papers for the MWTC reveal that it was built on partnerships between supportive organizations, and that this current partnership was needed to stem growing problems. 

“The building is close to being uninhabitable, and if we would have sat there and done nothing without partners, it would have been inevitable that we would have probably lost that space.” 

Ultimately, Rogers said, the MWTC doesn’t belong to the board, the university or any entity. 

“It belongs to the community, the city, the state and the nation,” she said. “We are just the door keepers here to uphold Madam Walker’s legacy.”

Built in 1927, the MWTC was developed from the vision of Madam C.J. Walker, an African-American entrepreneur best known for providing hair care products that made her the first woman of any race to become a self-made millionaire. 

She wanted to build a structure that not only housed the Walker Manufacturing Company but could also provide offices for local Black-owned businesses and facilitate engaging activities for the city’s growing African American community, which was once centered on the enterprises and entertainment found on Indiana Ave. 

Rogers noted that Walker made her life’s journey about not only reaching her own ambitions but also building up the communities she lived in.

“It was also about hiring people, teaching financial literacy and the importance of giving and philanthropy,” Rogers said. 

Rogers added that Walker paved the way for women such as Oprah Winfrey to achieve massive success in their industries. Also, the resurgence of the MWTC is timely, given that popular NBA star LeBron James has teamed up with Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer to produce an upcoming Netflix series about Walker’s life based on thebiography, On Her Own Ground by Walker’s great great granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles.

An original renovation on the MWTC structure, a registered National Historic Landmark, was completed in the 1980s. It has continued to operate as a gathering place for events, cultural programs and educational forums.  However, current leaders believe that it now needs full refreshment and modernization. 

“This new partnership is marrying academia with Madam Walker’s legacy in the tradition of building up entrepreneurs in our community,” Nixon said. “We also want to make sure that when all is said and done, that we’re able to present a state-of-the-art facility that our community is proud of.”

City-County Council member Vop Osili, also a board member, said the partnership enhances the positive goals of both MWTC and IUPUI. 

“They can maintain Madam Walker’s legacy in a powerful and positive way,” Osili said. “Our community should always be engaged with the Walker and see it as the resource that it is. It is part of our heritage and our culture.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creation of the partnership between MWTC and IUPUI comes after the center spent two years working on efforts to increase sustainability and economic viability in the community.

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