Community Spirit Helps Build The Center for the Arts of the Albemarle

It seems so long ago when a small group of Elizabeth City community leaders moved to stop the destruction of historic Lowry-Chesson building.  The Elizabeth City Historic Neighborhood Association had a vision to utilize the historic building to help revitalize downtown Elizabeth City and the Arts of the Albemarle (then called the Pasquotank Arts Council) was chosen as a natural fit for the project. 

That act has reshaped the Albemarle arts community, Downtown Elizabeth City and the community as a whole.  The 9-year and $3.2 million project was realized in March of 2009 with The Center Celebration, a weekend-long celebration of the grand opening of The Center, the Arts of the Albemarle's (AOA) new home.

Downtown Revitalization
The historic Lowry-Chesson building was a cornerstone of commerce in downtown Elizabeth City for many years as a flagship department store on Main Street.  The second floor of the building holds an opera house (now called the Maguire Theater) and was designed with entertainment in mind and hosted many performances in the early 1900's.

The building has been restored with many elements of its history preserved and it was re-opened as a three-story center for the arts on Monday, March 30, 2009. Randy Midgett, then Vice President of the Board of Directors of AOA, had been heavily involved in the restoration from the beginning.  "We wanted to preserve the unique, historic character of the building while outfitting it with innovative and modern solutions for the needs of the Arts of the Albemarle and our exciting future.   We found just the right partners to make it happen," Midgett remarks of architect Clearscapes of Raleigh, NC and prime contractor A.R. Chesson of Williamston, NC.  "A.R. Chesson put together a team of local subcontractors and craftsmen who have really delivered a great product.  Skip Sanders, AR Chesson project manager and Elizabeth City native, has turned our Architect's design into what you now see." The dream team also consisted of the NC Arts Council, Alan Cox and Perry Mixter, both business and strategic plan consultants and The Winslow Group who facilitated the successful $3.2 Million Capital Campaign.

Community Support
The Center is the culmination of efforts from many community groups and individuals.  With over 400 individual contributors to the capital campaign, the community has been abuzz with excitement.  "This project has really put AOA in the limelight and increased the community's awareness of the organization," stated Lisa Winslow, past Executive Director. "Our gallery traffic has certainly increased and our membership numbers continue to rise as a direct result of the capital campaign.  Our new facility gives us more opportunities to expand on what we do well and into other areas," Winslow added.  Previously serving only Pasquotank County, Arts of the Albemarle is designated a regional arts council, expanding to include Camden and Gates counties.  "We simply could not have done this without the exposure and efforts of the community through the capital campaign," stated Winslow.

The road was not without potholes, as historic preservation requires a lot of research, manpower and can be costly.  "It seems that every time we hit a dead end, someone stepped up to the plate with a solution," stated George Jackson, then President of the Board of Directors of AOA, "Whether it was a construction problem that we didn't anticipate or a temporary roadblock with funding, our community really came through."  The $3.2 million project was funded mainly through private donations.   Jackson continued, "The completion of The Center is really a testament to the strength of our community.  Everyone walking by the building can feel proud of Elizabeth City and what we've accomplished."

The Center houses the offices of the Arts of the Albemarle, the Jaquelin Jenkins gallery, the School of the Arts, the Maguire Theater and the Twiford Room, which was previously known as the Redmen's Room. 

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