The Hill Arts Launches Capital Campaign with $5M lead gift

Northwest Corner of The Hill Arts new Performance Center
Courtesy Archetype Architects

Portland, Maine (June 20, 2025) – The Hill Arts, the nonprofit performance venue located in the historic St. Lawrence Church on Munjoy Hill, is excited to announce its Capital Campaign to fund the construction of a much-needed, 400-seat theater in Portland. This new space will be available to all community arts partners, area schools and nonprofits, addressing the city's need for a significant, mid-sized performing arts venue.

The Hill Arts is thrilled to announce that it received an extraordinary $5 million gift to kickstart this campaign. Leveraging this incredible initial contribution, we have successfully raised a total of $9 million towards our goal of $18 million.

The Hill Arts board, staff and a long list of community partners believe this space will be transformative for the arts community in Portland and are very excited about the readiness of the project and the support it has received to date.

“As founder of this organization I can say that we are at a place that began not only out of necessity but also out of care and concern for an important piece of community infrastructure – the historic St. Lawrence Church.” said The Hill Art’s Executive Director Deirdre Nice. “In 1993 I saw an opportunity to bring together interested people and artists to have a place to do what they do and saw the opportunity for it to continue to evolve over 30 years as we listened to the community and sought to understand and fulfill their needs. Today we are at a moment of realizing a vision that has been decades in the making, a chance to make the old St. Lawrence whole again with this new building, and an opportunity to give back by creating purpose-built space for everyone.”

The organization is completely ready to begin construction this October having obtained all necessary municipal approvals, certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board, submission of its building permit and publication of full construction documents. The design team includes Archetype Architects, Zachau Construction, and NewHeight Group and is working in concert with The Hill Arts board of directors and The Hill Arts building committee.

Archetype Architects of Portland, renowned for their expertise in designing buildings in historic districts, designed the new Hill Arts Performance Center with due respect for the existing Parish Hall and the unique and eclectic Munjoy Hill neighborhood. David Lloyd, principal, Archetype Architects said, “The building’s exterior will be granite to echo the parish hall and will be paired with perforated metal siding - designed to glow at night during performances, relating to and complimenting the streetscape.”

Zachau Construction secured the bid for the project in 2024 and is one of Southern Maine’s leading commercial construction management companies, working with the state’s most recognized corporations, institutions, and non-profits. NewHeight Group is managing the project and is committed to creating high-quality buildings which combine the latest innovations in building science with thoughtful, customer-focused design.

The new building will bring a mid-sized auditorium on the footprint of the former historic Sanctuary. The new space will include opportunities for an arts incubator, enhanced programming and infrastructure to support the neighboring East End Community School, and an intent to create green and parking congestion reduction programs through an established transit partnership with the Greater Portland Metro. The center will provide a dynamic and necessary addition to Portland's creative infrastructure, enhancing the city's quality of life, and contributing to its growing reputation as a national cultural destination.

The Hill Arts invites the public to join them on this exciting journey as they embark on their expansion project. “This 400-seat theater will be a gem for Portland. We’re well on our way to reaching our goal and we're excited to work with our philanthropic partners to finish this campaign and bring this amazing vision to reality,” said Jamie Isaacson, The Hill Arts Capital Campaign Chair and Board Member.

Stay updated on the latest developments and progress by visiting www.thehillarts.me

Image caption for all renderings: Archetype Architects.

About The Hill Arts

The Hill Arts is a nonprofit performing arts center that provides an affordable, accessible space to celebrate and inspire the arts and engage our diverse community. Located in Portland’s historic Munjoy Hill area, The Hill Arts showcases performing arts events year-round. For more information, visit www.thehillarts.me