By Trent Dowling, Former Board Chair and Current Building Committee Chair, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County—
MUNCIE, IN—When people think about arts and culture investments, they often picture murals, galleries, performances, or public events. Those things matter deeply to a thriving community like Muncie, but creativity also lives in something quieter: the spaces where community life unfolds every day.
Architecture shapes how we experience a place. Buildings influence whether downtowns feel vibrant or forgotten, welcoming or disconnected. Historic structures, especially, carry the story of a community forward. They remind us of where we have been while offering possibilities for where we can go next.
As conversations around Muncie’s emerging Creative Corridor continue to grow, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County believes it’s important to recognize that investing in creativity also means investing in the physical spaces that support collaboration, innovation, and community connection.
That belief played an important role in the Foundation’s 2022 purchase of its building, located at 302 E. Jackson Street in downtown Muncie, when I was Board Chair.
For the Foundation, the decision was never simply about acquiring office space. It was about making a long-term investment in downtown Muncie and preserving a structure that could continue serving the community for decades to come. It was an opportunity to reimagine an existing building as a place where nonprofits, partners, and community members could gather, collaborate, learn, and grow together.
In many ways, that work reflects the same principles behind creative placemaking itself: seeing potential where others may only see age, challenges, or limitations.
Photos by Robbie Mehling.
Older buildings often require patience and vision. Their greatest strengths are not always immediately visible. While aesthetic improvements matter, responsible stewardship also means addressing the less visible systems that allow a building to function safely, sustainably, and effectively over time.
Investments in infrastructure – from HVAC modernization and accessibility improvements to safety upgrades and flexible community spaces – may not always attract attention, but they are essential to creating places that endure.
These kinds of investments are rarely glamorous. Yet they represent an important form of community care – and it issatisfying to see an older building restored and repurposed to continue serving the community.
Thriving communities need programs and events, but they also need places where people can come together. They need environments that encourage conversation, learning, creativity, and collaboration. They need spaces that are adaptable enough to evolve alongside the needs of the community itself.
That vision continues to guide the Foundation’s ongoing work within the building. Ongoing improvements include expanded community and training spaces, updated meeting areas, additional infrastructure upgrades, and flexible-use environments designed to support both present needs and future growth. The goal is not simply to renovate a structure, but to strengthen the ecosystem of organizations and people working to make Delaware County a better place to be.
This work also reflects a broader belief about downtown Muncie itself.
Thriving downtowns are built through long-term commitment. They grow when organizations, businesses, artists, nonprofits, and residents collectively choose to invest in the future of a place rather than walk away from it. Adaptive reuse and preservation play an important role in that process. Existing buildings carry character, history, and identity that cannot easily be recreated. When communities choose to reinvest in them, they preserve not only architecture, but also a sense of continuity and belonging. These investments say, “We have been here. We are still here. And we see a future for everyone here.”
In that sense, architecture can be viewed as its own form of art – one that shapes daily life in subtle but powerful ways. The spaces we preserve, improve, and activate ultimately influence how people connect with one another and how they experience their community.
For The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, investing in place is ultimately an investment in people. It is a commitment to creating environments where ideas can grow, partnerships can form, and community life can continue to flourish for generations to come.
Because sometimes the most meaningful community investments are not only found in what we create – but in what we choose to preserve, strengthen, and believe in together.
About the Community Foundation
The Community Foundation is a local public foundation that helps people, supports place, and encourages possibility in Muncie and Delaware County. With an endowment of over $100 million, the Foundation has distributed more than $80 million in grants and scholarships to date.
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