Case Study: Foegley Plaza at the South Bend Civic Theatre

South Bend Civic Theatre took on a massive placemaking project: the development of Foegley Plaza, a new outdoor venue on the south side of the historic theatre complex.

In 2018, South Bend Civic Theatre took on a massive placemaking project: the development of Foegley Plaza, a new outdoor venue on the south side of the historic theatre complex. The Civic hoped that the implementation of this project would favorably impact visitors’ experience to the resurgent city. However, such an undertaking was going to require the removal of an unattractive building that was known for attracting vandalism and vagrancy, and replacing it with a public greenspace where the arts can be celebrated and the community can gather.

In 2019, the South Bend Civic Theatre launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds needed to create the mixed-use public performing arts plaza. The campaign crowdfunded $25,000 from 94 patrons. By reaching their crowdfunding goal, the organization unlocked a matching grant from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority's CreatINg Places program.

Using the funds from their CreatINg Places campaign, the Civic Theatre created a plaza that will be used for intimate performances, youth theatre camps and classes, film screenings, receptions, and concerts.

The space includes carefully curated lighting, seating, shading, rails, and landscaping. It is also a performance space for downtown community events, festivals, and arts collaborations.

Not only does this project improve the variety and vibrancy of South Bend Civic Theatre productions, it has also advanced downtown South Bend as a more attractive place to visit through the improvement of the Madison St. corridor and the expansion of St. Joseph County’s portfolio of outdoor performance venues.

“Foegley Plaza is contributing to the activation of South Bend’s arts
corridor. It serves as downtown’s northern cultural anchor... Visitors [are] impressed by an attracted to the site’s beauty and diversity of programming.” - Milt Lee, Executive Director Downtown South Bend

The Impact

Community Engagement

With the creation of “Foegley Fridays,” an outdoor lunch and music series in partnership with South Bend Inc., the space is welcoming community members and providing safe place to gather.

Safety

Local law enforcement reports fewer incidents of crime because of the upgraded lighting and landscaping.

Developed a Destination

These improvements have made the north end of downtown a more attractive destination for tourism and investment.