Summer 2026 Fundraising Campaign

Help Unlock the Next Chapter of the Smith Baker Center

For more than two decades, the historic Smith Baker Center has stood vacant in the heart of downtown Lowell waiting for a new purpose. Today, that future is finally within reach.

After years of planning, community engagement, fundraising, design work, and preservation advocacy, the Lowell Center for the Arts is just days away from closing on the acquisition of the Smith Baker Center. Permits have been secured, financing has been approved, historic tax credits are in place, and preparations for the first phase of stabilization are ready to begin. Now, we invite you to help us turn the key.

The Turn the Key Campaign is a community-wide effort to raise $100,000 in unrestricted support to help carry the organization through acquisition, stabilization, and the critical first phase of preservation work. These funds will provide the flexibility needed to navigate the final steps of ownership and begin bringing this extraordinary building back to life.

Introducing the Smith Baker Preservation Society

As part of this campaign, we are proud to establish the Smith Baker Preservation Society, an honorary giving society recognizing individuals, businesses, and organizations who make leadership-level investments in the future of the Smith Baker Center.

All donors who contribute $1,000 or more; including many of our longtime supporters who have already reached this level of giving, will be recognized as members of the Society.

Members receive:

Permanent recognition on the Smith Baker Preservation Society Wall
Exclusive project updates and behind-the-scenes tours
Invitation to our acquisition celebration and future open house events
Priority invitations to special programs and donor gatherings
Permanent recognition associated with sponsored preservation elements

Giving Opportunities

Founder: $1,000

Become a founding member of the Smith Baker Preservation Society and help unlock the next chapter of the building's history.

Benefits include:

Membership in the Smith Baker Preservation Society
Permanent recognition on the Preservation Society Wall
Dedication of one restored original concert hall seat

Preservation Patron: $5,000

Preserve a piece of the building's historic beauty.

Benefits include all Founder-level recognition, plus:

Dedication of one historic stained glass window (small or medium)
Personalized recognition plaque

Limited Availability: 10 Opportunities

Preservation Benefactor: $25,000

Leave a lasting legacy within the restored concert hall.

Benefits include all Patron-level recognition, plus:

Dedication of a restored historic pew in the main concert hall seating area
Prominent permanent recognition

Why Now?

The Smith Baker Center is no longer a distant vision. Permits are secured, contracts are signed, financing is approved, and tax credits are in place.

The next chapter begins this summer.

By supporting the Turn the Key Campaign, you are helping transform a long-vacant landmark into a vibrant center for arts, culture, education, and community life. Your support helps ensure that when the doors open, the entire community can take pride in knowing they helped make it possible.

Join us. Turn the key. Help unlock the future of the Smith Baker Center.

Smith Baker Preservation Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your generous contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Recognition opportunities are honorary acknowledgments of philanthropic support and do not convey ownership or property rights.