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Organizational
History
The State of
Ohio legally chartered the Community Arts Projects, Inc. d.b.a.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Complex (The King Arts
Complex), as a nonprofit corporation in 1982. The project was
developed out of a desire by community, corporate and government
leaders to significantly honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., as well as provide a place to celebrate the influential
contributions of African-Americans throughout the world.
Opened in March,
1987, after a $2.7 million renovation of the Pythian Theater,
The King Arts Complex is located on the near Eastside of Columbus
(OH), one of the oldest areas of African-American life in the
city. With an additional $1.8 million renovation, Phase II opened
in October 1989. Serving as an anchor for development in the Near
Eastside area, The King Arts Complex is an oasis for cultural
and educational activities as well as a community facility for
special events.
Our mission
is to preserve and celebrate the cultural and artistic heritage
of African-Americans and the African-American experience, while
developing greater understanding and harmony among all people.
Through a multifaceted
approach, The King Arts Complex offers performing, cultural and
educational programs that provide high artistic merit, offer varied
and diverse experiences, and increase and disseminate knowledge
regarding the vast and significant contributions of African-Americans
to the culture and history of America and the world. In the past
decade, the Complex has built artistically-strong offerings that
represent the spectrum of the performing and cultural arts while
maintaining a minimum core staff, establishing The Complex as
a primary African-American institution in Ohio.
Architectural
History
The Martin
Luther King, Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex is listed
on the National Register of Historical places. By the mid-1920's,
Mount Vernon Avenue was firmly established as the center of African-American
life in Columbus. Built in 1925-26 as the Pythian Temple, this
handsome building was erected for use as a lodge and theater for
the community. The structure is an example of the Colonial Revival
Style and holds a position as a major community landmark for Columbus'
African-American population. Over the years, it has remained a
fraternal and social hub for the neighborhood. Entertainment greats
such as Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, the Cotton
Club Dancers and the Black and Tan review have performed at this
site. Since its 1986 restoration, Ben Vereen, Roberta Flack, Ashford
and Simpson, Abbey Lincoln and McCoy Tyner have continued the
tradition.
The King Arts
Complex is the only historic building in the city of Columbus
known to be designed by an African-American architect. Samuel
Plato of the Louisville, Kentucky firm, Evans and Plato, designed
the Pythian Temple. A graduate of Simmons University, for which
he later designed Steward Hall, Plato was the first African-American
to receive U.S. Post Office contracts, building over forty post
offices. He also designed and built residences, churches, apartment
buildings and offices. The Pythian Temple is the only known example
of his work in Columbus.
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