From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for June 6, 1975:

The second phase of a fund drive for renovation of the Lawrence Arts Center had resulted in the collection of nearly $7,000 since April, but more funds were needed to meet bills with summertime due dates. An initial mailing of about 1,000 letters soliciting funds in November had resulted in the collection of about $6,000. Another $18,000 had been received from fire insurance, to pay for fire damage to the building at Ninth and Vermont before its transformation into the Arts Center. That money, along with $5,000 from the city and recent collections, had brought total funds to $36,000, but renovation work costing $39,000 had been contracted to date, leaving the center short by about $3,000. “We need that money as soon as possible to complete priority work on the building,” said spokesperson Janis Hutchison. An additional $10,500 was possibly going to become available from state American Revolution Bicentennial Committee funds, and the Lawrence Arts Commission was also awaiting word from the Kansas Arts Commission on grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.