a brief history of the
Northport Performing Arts Center
(formerly the Northport Community Arts Center)
In 1996, a group of people in Northport began to consider the possibility of a community auditorium.
During this time, theater performances helmed by Sue Hanson and Ann Bloomquist were growing in popularity, and The Village Voices were presenting concerts on a more frequent basis.
The emergence of the performing arts led many in the community to recognize the need for a dedicated place to perform.
By 1998, discussions were underway as to what an arts center at Northport Public School might look like.
At the same time, the administration at Northport Public School (NPS) deemed it necessary to expand the school’s number of classrooms and build a new gym. Then Superintendent Bonnie Pillar facilitated dialogue between the school and community representatives who supported the performing arts, allowing the two groups to combine their efforts.
Following a period of discussion and negotiation, the community promised that if local voters passed a school bond issue for additional classrooms and a gym, they would raise $1,000,000 for the auditorium and gift it to NPS.
When voters passed the school bond issue, NPS hired an architectural firm to draw up plans for the classroom, gym, and community auditorium. The historic groundbreaking took place on May 19, 2000, along with a ceremony and concert.
In the summer of 2000, the Leelanau Township Community Foundation (LTCF) assumed the role of raising funds for the auditorium.
Around the same time, Rick Cross became the new superintendent at NPS. He quickly voiced concerns about the future cost of operations and maintenance of the auditorium, which would have more than 430 seats, numerous lighting fixtures and backstage amenities, a dressing room, and a control booth equipped with world-class audio and visual equipment.
Dr. Richard Hanson, the LTCF Executive Director, agreed to create a special pass-through fund to manage donations for the arts center.
When it became clear that the community needed to raise a lot of money to achieve the promised goal of $1,000,000…