A $15 million gift from a 1962 alumnus and his wife will transform Cranbrook's performing arts center in Bloomfield Hills, capping the school's most successful fundraising year on record.

Essel W. Bailey Jr. and Menakka Bailey made the commitment, the largest single donation in Cranbrook Schools history, to restore and permanently endow the Cranbrook Educational Community Performing Arts Center. The building will be renamed The Bailey Center for the Performing Arts, Cranbrook announced in April.

The gift is structured in two parts: a capital contribution to fund the renovation and a permanent endowment for the building's long-term preservation, according to The Oakland Press.

Regan LaFontaine, Cranbrook's director of advancement, called the donation "an extraordinary vote of confidence in Cranbrook" and in the role of arts education at the school. She made the remarks in a Friday, Aug. 28 message to the school community that recapped the record year.

The Baileys' lead gift is joined by more than $9 million in contributions from other patrons, C&G Newspapers reported.

The building dates to 1932, when Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen designed it as a gymnasium. Essel Bailey and his brother Jim Bailey, Class of 1965, played basketball there as students. A stage house, flanking wings and a two-story lobby were added over the decades as the space shifted to performing arts use.

Planned renovations include an orchestra pit, catwalks, expanded lobby and gathering space, modern dressing and green rooms, expanded seating, full HVAC and life-safety upgrades, and restored grounds. The design aims to honor Saarinen's original clean lines and warm wood.

"Cranbrook made me who I am," Bailey said when the gift was announced April 23. "… I hope this gift inspires others in the Cranbrook community to see the opportunity before us."

Beyond the performing arts center, Cranbrook completed funding for two athletics projects during the 2025-26 school year. A newly renovated Athletic Performance Center was nearing completion as of late August. The school also fully funded a replacement turf field. The Window to the World gala on Saturday, May 9 raised more than $1.2 million, with a portion going toward the turf project.

Bailey is a lawyer and private investor who has worked in Michigan state government and led two public companies. Menakka Bailey is a former University of Michigan social anthropology faculty member and a managing director of Alpha Capital Inc., an Ann Arbor-based investment firm.