New and improved Thorne arts center expected to open by 2029

MILLBROOK — Construction on the long-planned Thorne Center could begin this fall, with the new arts and community center expected to open in early 2029.

The empty Thorne Building will undergo extensive renovation over the next two years and become the Thorne Center, where residents can gather for events, classes and arts programming. The renovated building will feature a gallery, culinary center, digital arts center and other community spaces.

The building was originally constructed as a school for Millbrook in 1895 by Samuel Thorne, where it served as a high school until 1962. It later served a variety of community purposes but has remained largely vacant in recent decades. The Millbrook Community Partnership, a nonprofit organization formed to redevelop the building and oversee improvements at Bennett Park, bought the property from the Village of Millbrook in 2017.

Since purchasing the building, the partnership has spent years planning its redevelopment and hopes to complete the project’s plans by the end of July. Organization leaders expect to begin construction later this fall, with the project scheduled for completion by late 2028 or early 2029.

“It’s been a long haul but always forward motion,” said Ann Gifford, the secretary of the Millbrook Community Partnership.

Throughout the planning process, the partnership incorporated feedback from the community. Community-wide meetings provided opportunities for brainstorming and included suggestion boxes where Millbrook residents could participate in the process.

“They had a bunch of public sessions and then gathered all of the feedback. The resounding message was that it should be something for the community,” said Krista Fragos, special assistant to Oakleigh Thorne, president of the Millbrook Community Partnership and a descendant of Samuel Thorne. Fragos assists Thorne with the partnership’s projects.

The Thorne family has played a prominent role in the development of Millbrook since the early 1700s.

The building’s three floors and basement will all be renovated to accommodate a culinary center, digital arts center, small gallery space, community workspace, dance studio and visual arts studio. There will also be an elevator.

The footprint of the building will remain largely unchanged, with the only addition being an extension to the performance hall. This will allow for a catwalk and a loading dock behind the stage.

The renovation will preserve as much of the historic building as possible, including the exposed brick found throughout many of its rooms.

“We are very collaborative. We’re working with the library, working with the arts group,” Gifford said. “We’re working with anyone who’s around who wants to collaborate with us. We want to be very inclusive.”

The partnership has raised $28 million toward its $34 million fundraising goal through private donations and an initial grant from the Millbrook Tribute Garden.

The Tribute Garden was established in 1920 on land donated by the Thorne family to commemorate World War I veterans from Millbrook.

In November, there will be a public kickoff to launch the community fundraising campaign and provide an update on construction.

“The community is very enthusiastic, and whenever we’ve opened it up for an open house or a performance or a tour, we’ve gotten a lot of interest,” Gifford said.

The building has seen sporadic use over the past two decades, and the performance hall has hosted occasional events. On Sept. 6, the Knights Ensemble will perform in the Thorne Building for what organizers expect to be the final performance before construction begins. The Knights is an internationally acclaimed orchestra that has performed worldwide.

“They’ve put a really cool program together that I think will fit in the funkiness of the space and they’re really excited to come,” Fragos said.