Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts enters final phase of major building overhaul

As the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts (TCFA) closes out 2025, the organization known for harnessing the creative powers of residents in the Finger Lakes is looking to parlay the results of its capital raising campaign to transform the conservatory’s historic building, Managing Director Dona Roman said in an interview with Tompkins Weekly.

Roman said that TCFA reached its fundraising goal for the campaign started in 2021. The plan has so far entailed using the money generated from private donations and state and local grants to remodel TCFA’s historic 1851 Greek Revival building. Now, Roman said that campaign of improvements is entering the home stretch; important structural work will begin the first week of January and will likely end sometime in June.

The organization has been raising funds for the building’s remodel for years. Roman said that the fundraising drive has now hit $1.7 million. 

“The thing that’s the most outstanding is that this small community has raised roughly half a million dollars towards this overall $1.7 million,” Roman noted.

The improvements to the building include the following: 

• Code and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance work, including a new ramp and restoration of the portico and entrance doors
• Installation of an ADA-compliant restroom 
• Renovation of the lobby, including new gypsum wallboard, electrical upgrades and insulation
• Installation of an ADA-compliant lift for the stage 
• Restoration of the building exterior, including repairs to deteriorated wood siding and ornamental woodwork
• Removal of damaged interior plaster and installation of new sheetrock
• Renovation and painting of interior plaster walls and ornamental details
• Insulation of exterior walls
• Upgrading of lighting and electrical distribution 
• Installation of an acoustic ceiling and sound-absorbing wall panels
• Refinishing wood floors

Roman said that TCFA’s remodeling is a testament to the strong community sentiment toward artistic pursuits. The new center will help continue to nurture the talent and artistic vision of people in the region, she noted.

“I’ve always felt that Trumansburg is this remarkable gem of talent and creativity. There’s wonderful musicians who live in Trumansburg and visual artists and filmmakers who come from this area,” she noted. “It is just remarkable, the community of talented and creative people here. They love the conservatory.”

Some parts of the project will require the work to be completed through the spring, Roman said. So far, the building has been given a new roof, new masonry work at the foundation level and a new accessible ramp. 

“The contractors are getting ready to install scaffolding in the entire main room, and then all the walls and the ceiling are coming down, and that’s when we begin to restore the interior of the main hall,” she said. “That’s a major undertaking.”

TCFA’s building will also receive upgrades to the way it uses energy.  

“Next is to continue trying to find funds to conserve power and energy to a greater level than we already have, but the first step of it was a grant from the Park Foundation,” she said. “Then, we will reopen the building. We’re really hopeful to be able to do that in June and start our full programming: dance classes and music classes and everything back in our building.”

TCFA will continue to host its events and arts classes elsewhere for the time being, but Roman said that the goal is to be back in business at the building at 5 McLallen St. in Trumansburg sometime in the summer. 

“We won’t really know until we tear down those walls and ceiling and see what this old building has waiting for us,” Roman said.

The work has meant that TCFA had to plan for its programming to go on the road. Since October of 2024, the conservatory has been hosting a series dubbed “TCFA on the Road,” where events typically held at the TCFA building change their venue so that the conservatory can continue providing educational opportunities and forums of artistic expression for area residents.

“Since October [2024], with our annual Fall Invitational, we’ve been on the road,” Roman said. TCFA repackaged its programming under the “TCFA on the Road” banner, with the tagline “Get your kicks down Route 96.” This campaign has taken important TCFA events like the 40th annual Fall Invitational and the St. Paddy’s Day Weekend Kickoff fundraiser to towns such as Ovid and the village of Burdett.