Montauk-Based Aquatic And Cultural Arts Center Project Gifted $1 Million

The Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation (MPCCF) was recently bestowed a generous $1 million gift in support of its efforts to complete the restoration of the historic Playhouse site by adding an Aquatic and Cultural Arts Center. The contribution came from an anonymous donor.

“This is a significant moment for the Playhouse Foundation and for Montauk,” relayed Foundation Chairman Perry B. Duryea III. “A gift of this size is a clear sign that our community believes in this project and in the future of Montauk. We want to thank the donor for supporting our mission to complete this project.”

This marks the largest private donation that The Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation has received to date.

“We are grateful to the donor for their commitment toward completing this project for the Montauk community,” said Julia McCormack, the Foundation’s Director of Development. “This unrestricted gift will provide the Foundation with great flexibility and will encourage others to participate in this vital community endeavor.”

The donation was made in December 2019, making it the third consecutive year of major fundraising for the Playhouse Foundation. In 2017, the Town of East Hampton championed the renovation efforts with a $3 million pledge towards the project. The following year, MPCCF saw its strongest fundraising year yet, thanks in part to a successful $250,000 Sarah & Maurice Iudicone challenge grant. Overall, the Foundation raised nearly $1 million in private donations in 2018. The construction of the Aquatic and Cultural Centers is estimated to cost $11 million, with an additional $2 million needed for sustaining programming. So far, the Playhouse Foundation has raised $7.5 million.

“This generous donation inspires us as we move forward with our goal of bringing a vibrant Montauk Playhouse Community Center to fruition,” Duryea concluded.

Since 2006, half of the Montauk Playhouse Community Center has been operational and the Foundation is currently focused on raising the funding to complete the entirety of the historic building. The renovations will add an Aquatic Center with a 25-yard fitness pool, as well as 30’x 30′ leisure pool, and the second floor will be home to a Cultural Arts Center, a multi-use event space that could be used for a myriad of happenings, including theater performances, small and large gatherings, lectures, and conferences.

MPCCF was founded in 1999, with the mission of “saving the historic Montauk Playhouse and transforming it into a vibrant home for arts, education, athletics and human services.”

For more information, visit montaukplayhouse.org.