PORTSMOUTH — The Common Fence Point Improvement Association (CFPIA) has been awarded a $94,000 matching grant to be used for improvements on its community hall at 933 Anthony Road.

The nonprofit group, which earlier won a $187,000 matching grant from the R.I. State Council for the Arts (RISCA), wants to turn the Common Fence Point Community Hall into a modern arts center serving the wider area. The current hall dates back to the 1960s, when it was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original 1922 building.

The $94,000 matching grant was awarded by the Champlin Foundation, according to Conley Zani, CFPIA president, and will mainly be used to make the building compliant with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Primarily, we’ll be putting in an elevator and redoing the stairwells, and it will really help us to focus on a better reutilization of this building. It’s very exciting,” Ms. Zani said.

Besides the longstanding Common Fence Music series, the community hall also hosts Zumba and other fitness classes, art classes and gallery shows, an after-school program run by the Newport County YMCA, comedy nights, ballroom dances and more.

For more information, visit commonfencepoint.org.