Cleveland Institute of Art gets $5 million from Peter B. Lewis

CLEVELAND - Peter B. Lewis, chairman and former president and CEO of Progressive Corp. has given $5 million to the Cleveland Institute of Art. 

The gift allows the college to break ground on a new state of the art cinema theater and art gallery complex. The new building will be connected to the Joseph McCullough Center for Visual Arts near Euclid Ave. and E.115th Street. 

That building was originally a Ford Motor Model-T assembly plant built in 1913 and has undergone extensive renovation. The $66 million project for the new addition is expected to be completed by late 2014.

The school is a private, four-year art college and is currently in two locations. Their Gund Building site sits at the corner of Bellflower and East Blvds. across from the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

The Reinberger Gallery and Cleveland Cinematheque are located there. These venues will be moved to the new University Circle location in order to consolidate the campus to one location in the Uptown development project.

The art institute's board will vote in August to set the date for the groundbreaking and plan to name the new cinema complex for Lewis in appreciation for his gift to the college.