Bringing New Life to an Old Theater
Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation
Since the inaugural Exhibit Columbus in 2017, the Landmark Columbus Foundation has invited people to visit the Indiana city every two years to experience installations spread across downtown and other parts of the “small-town architectural mecca.” A highlight of this year's exhibition—the fifth, curated under the theme Yes And—is Accessing Nostalgia, an installation by Chicago's Adaptive Operations at the 136-year-old Crump Theatre.
The phrase “yes, and” comes from improv theater and is defined by the Exhibit Columbus curators as “a technique for affirming and building upon an idea to create a shared narrative.” When applied to architecture, the phrase can signal an embrace of existing buildings and finding creative ways to extend their usefulness into the future. Such an approach is evident in Accessing Nostalgia, the multifaceted installation at the Crump Theatre designed by Adaptive Operations, the Chicago studio founded by Charlie Vinz in 2013 that focuses on “the adaptive reuse, renovation, and research of existing structures.” Accessing Nostalgia is one of four recipients of the J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize, named for the patrons who turned Columbus, Indiana into a destination for fans of modern architecture and design.
Below are a short video and a dozen photographs of Accessing Nostalgia, the latter with captions further describing the installation. Yes And, the 2025 Exhibit Columbus exhibition, is on display until November 30, 2025, with numerous events being held across its three-month duration.
The Crump Theatre as it looked in 2021. His first theater having burned down, John S. Crump built the new Crump Theatre a block away in 1889, on its current 3rd Street site. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The Crump Theatre's lasting Art Deco appearance came in 1941—a year before Eliel Saarinen brought modern architecture to Columbus with the completion of First Christian Church—courtesy of new owner Truman Rembusch and architect Alden Meranda. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The empty lot east of The Crump arose from a fire in 1978. For this year's Exhibit Columbus, the space has been enlivened by Charlie Vinz and Adaptive Operations through a platform covered in metal siding. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The metal siding was removed from The Crumps's side elevation and mounted to wood framing. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The siding has a theatrical quality, as if the side of the building has been lifted to reveal a hidden space behind it. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The lighting gives the gathering space on the east side of the building a party atmosphere and echoes the neon lights of the theater's signage. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The space was activated on August 16 as part of Exhibit Columbus's opening-day festivities. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The Pac Man-like cutout in the siding is part of a rebrand, coinciding with the establishment of the nonprofit Crump Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. this year and the start of a larger transformation of the theater to its fully operational state. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
Adaptive Operations' installation involved other components, such as bringing a long-unused opera box inside the theater back to life and, seen here, depicting a street-side window from the theater's pre-1941 facade. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The arched “window” is comprised of portrait silhouettes made of mirrored vinyl on reused polycarbonate yard signs. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
The silhouettes depict residents of Columbus who dropped by the theater and sat for tracing sessions with Charlie Vinz. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
Visitors to Columbus have until November 30 to see Accessing Nostalgia and the other Exhibit Columbus installations. (Photo: Hadley Fruits for Landmarks Columbus Foundation)
