Fish Creek, Wis. (January 6, 2024) – The anonymous lead donor for Door Community Auditorium’s “Annex” project has been named. Chris Cramer of Gibraltar has committed in excess of one million dollars to seed the project, which will build a second program center and gathering hall directly across from the original Auditorium. The Annex Project has reached about 70% of its fundraising goal, and groundbreaking is scheduled for Spring 2025. While the official name for the new center will include “Cramer” in some way, its descriptive name (rather than “Annex”) is yet to be decided. Several names are under consideration; Cramer and DCA are actively accepting suggestions.
Cramer, with his son Nicholas, is making the donation in memory of his parents, Corli & Ron Cramer, and his late wife, Tricia (Nicholas’s mother). Chris’s mother, Corli, had a history in northern Door County going back to the 1920s, including an art teacher aunt from Chicago who summered in the “artists colony” in Peninsula State Park; Chris first visited Door County in the 1950s. Chris and Tricia Cramer (both as a couple and as individuals) were active in the arts throughout their early lives and marriage. Tricia was an art history major, Chicago gallery manager, and art consultant. Chris as a student was a film and concert coordinator at Duke University and served on multiple venue planning committees there and later locally served as a board member of Peninsula Arts Association. Through the Cramers’ work in finance and real estate, they have supported arts organizations and events both locally and nationally.
Chris and Tricia’s long and successful careers forged deep connections in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Durham, North Carolina, in addition to their consistent presence on the Door County arts scene beginning in the early 1990s. Chris remains passionate about the arts in Door County and wishes to honor the Door County artists and artisans of earlier days who were instrumental in laying the foundation for the vibrant arts scene Door County enjoys today. He is also excited that the new venue will elevate the Door Community Auditorium experience for national touring artists and audiences, showcase the many top-notch current (and future) performers who call Door County home, and nurture student artists for years to come.
Donors of all sizes are needed to complete the project. Naming opportunities are available.
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