State funding assists in transformation of historic Kalamazoo church
July 19, 2023
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — 315 W. Michigan Ave. looks like a church building from the outside, but on the inside, it’s a community hub for local entertainment.
Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition, or KNAC, received $250,000 from the state budget in an effort to continue renovating the downtown building, according to KNAC Board President Dann Sytsma.
“We want to build on the legacy of Kalamazoo’s dedication to performing arts and entrepreneurial innovation which has been a long standing tradition and part of the roots of the community. We are building on that, and expanding on that,” Sytsma said.
Renovations include replacing the HVAC system, adding an elevator and fire sprinklers, creating co-working spaces on the second and third floors, and updating the performance spaces and lobby, Sytsma said.
Currently, the KNAC building hosts comedy and improv acts from Crawlspace Comedy and other art-focused events in the city.
The improvement project aims to support performing arts and incubate create entrepreneurship in Kalamazoo, Sytsma said.
The building’s former owner, the First Baptist Church, helped form the KNAC once experiencing financial trouble on maintaining the building’s infrastructure, according to Sytsma.
Read the full State funding assists in transformation of historic Kalamazoo church article here.
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