Arts United Partners with Nook to Expand Accessibility

Arts United has been a cultural anchor in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 1955. The organization was founded on a simple idea: the arts are strongest when they are shared, supported, and woven into the fabric of a community.

Operating as a private nonprofit local arts agency, Arts United serves as both a champion for the arts and a steward of cultural facilities. It provides arts advocacy, fundraises, supports community development, manages a community box office, and functions as the region’s arts and culture authority in place of a municipal cultural affairs office. Its role has always been expansive, shaped less by bureaucracy and more by responsibility to the people it serves.

That sense of responsibility is perhaps most visible in the Arts United Center theatre itself.

The building is the only performing arts center completed by Louis Kahn, one of the most influential architects of the second half of the twentieth century. Completed in 1973, the structure is unmistakably of its time: thick masonry, heavy concrete, brick, and a sense of permanence that feels almost immovable. It houses a 725 seat proscenium theatre, two spacious studios, a scene shop, and anchors a larger cultural district, referred to as the Arts Campus Fort Wayne. 

It is also a building that was designed before the Americans with Disabilities Act and was lacking in accessibility. 

Over the past 50 years, Arts United has owned and operated the space, which supports locally produced performances and events, making no major physical changes to the structure. With hundreds of steps and multiple levels, the facility lacked the accommodations to meet the needs of modern audiences. For patrons and performers with physical disabilities, neurological differences, or sensory sensitivities, navigating the building could be difficult, exhausting, or impossible. As Arts United VP of Operations and COO, Miriam Morgan describes it, the challenge wasn’t a lack of care, but the constraints of physical structure and history. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its most recent renovation, the result of nearly ten years of planning, needed to honor its architectural roots. Every change required intention and restraint. 

Throughout that decade-long journey, Morgan and the Arts United team asked hard questions. What does accessibility mean in a historic structure? How do you support people with different bodies, brains, and sensory needs without compromising the integrity of the space? And how do you do it in a way that is realistic for nonprofit organizations, both financially and operationally?

“We leaned on a principle rooted in universal design: when you design for the margins, the center benefits too,” said Morgan.

That philosophy guided countless decisions during the renovation, from a tactile cane trail to sensory-sensitive areas. One of the most challenging spaces sat directly beneath the building’s grand staircases. With just six and a half feet of clearance, no ventilation, no existing lighting, no power, and strict fire safety requirements, the area was difficult to utilize. Traditional solutions like pipe and drape offered little more than a visual barrier and did nothing to address comfort, lighting, or regulation. 

Rather than accepting the limitation, the Arts United team looked for something that could work within it. 

The answer came in the form of three Nook pods, selected and configured to feel like they belonged in the building rather than being an afterthought. Working closely with the architecture team, Arts United chose finishes that echoed the surrounding materials, including blonde wood and darker fabrics that complemented the space’s gravity. 

Historic West Lobby Sensory Nook 

Installed beneath a concrete floating staircase, a Sensory Nook transforms what had been dead space into a place of intention. The pod provides built-in lighting in an area where traditional fixtures were impossible. Its portability allowed it to exist where permanent construction could not. Inside, soft seating creates a supportive environment for people who need a moment of calm, regulation, or retreat before, during, and after a performance.

Historic East Lobby Accessible Sensory Nook 

On the opposite side of the historic lobby, another Sensory Shelter Nook extends that same sense of care to patrons with accessibility needs. Installed beneath another concrete staircase, the fully accessible pod provides a defined sensory-support space in an area where enclosure, lighting, and ventilation couldn’t be built into the space. Its open alcove design allows for ease of entry for those using wheelchairs, crutches, or strollers while still offering a grounded, calming environment. 

Floyd and Betty Lou Lancia Lobby Privacy Nook  

Nearby, a Nook Solo, referred to by staff as the “privacy pod,” provides a more secluded option within the lobby. A simple “Vacant/In-Use” sign allows patrons to step away with dignity, whether to take a phone call, pump or breastfeed, do focused work, or quietly decompress. The pod’s presence offers privacy, signaling that these needs are anticipated rather than accommodated as an exception. 

For patrons, the response has been deeply affirming. Guests of all abilities have expressed appreciation for the sense of care embedded in the design. Rather than feeling singled out, people experience the pods as a natural part of the venue. Staff members have also embraced the Nooks, using them as a quieter, comfier place to work. 

Perhaps most telling is how the conversation around accessibility has shifted. Morgan notes that accessibility is often perceived as prohibitively expensive or logistically overwhelming. The Nooks challenged that assumption. “They allowed us to incorporate meaningful accessibility interventions that were affordable, relatively simple to deploy, and easy to manage, even within a historic structure.” 

For Morgan, who has spent years researching accessibility standards and engaging with accessibility advocacy organizations focused on inclusiveness, the lesson is clear. Some of the most impactful changes are also the simplest. When tools exist that respect both the constraints of a space and the dignity of the people using it, inclusion becomes less abstract and more achievable. 

For a venue that already plays a central role in Fort Wayne’s cultural life, the addition of Nooks to these spaces reinforces its broader mission: to ensure that the arts are accessible, welcoming, and responsive to the full spectrum of human experience. 

To learn more about Arts United, visit artsunited.org. Arts United is part of the Nook Neighborhood, a growing community of organizations that use Nook as part of their commitment to intentional, adaptable environments rooted in the belief that everyone benefits when spaces are flexible and accessible. 

Those interested in visiting the Nooks at Arts United or learning more about how they are used within the venue are encouraged to reach out to Wendy Wichern at wwichern@artsunited.org.