Something Extraordinary is Happening at Cranbrook.

Essel W. Bailey Jr. (Cranbrook Class of 1962) and Menakka Bailey have made a landmark $15 million gift to restore and permanently endow the Cranbrook Educational Community Performing Arts Center. In honor of this transformational commitment, the building will be renamed The Bailey Center for the Performing Arts. 

This is one of the most significant philanthropic gifts in Cranbrook's history. 

The renovation will honor the original 1932 Eliel Saarinen design while bringing the building fully into the 21st century. World-class acoustics, orchestra pit, state-of-the-art stage technology, expanded gathering spaces, and a reimagined lobby will make The Bailey Center a true crossroads of campus life: a home for performance, assembly, creativity, and community every day, not only on opening night. 

A permanent endowment, structured as part of the gift, ensures the building will not only be built to the highest standard but that it will be sustained there for every generation of students to come.

You can find more information and the full press release by clicking here.