Quest for an Arts Center

THE QUEST FOR AN ARTS CENTER

The vision for a cultural center in Martin County has moved one step closer to becoming a reality. As noted in the Tuesday, March 9th Stuart News, the School Board Chairwoman, Marsha Powers and Superintendent Dr. John Millay, are drafting an agreement to allow Straticon Construction to gain access to the structures and gather information for an evaluation report. This report will provide us with critical information about the buildings’ status and the costs of renovating the structure to meet its future use. We are grateful to Jeff and Chris Hardin for their initial gift to see that the evaluation is done. The Arts Foundation anticipates receiving funds from the Division of Historic Resources in July 2021 for a small matching grant of $50,000. These important investments in the pre-campaign phase will be used for development of schematic designs and due diligence design work. The Stuart High School site would be a historic preservation project with an arts-focus and will be a great asset for our community in the years to come, with a positive impact on tourism, our economy, our creative sector, and our quality of life. Working together, we will make this dream a reality for our community. And in doing so we fulfill a dream that was the founding inspiration of the Arts Council nearly 40 years ago!

Conceptual rendering for presentation purposes were designed by REG Architects.

Stuart High School, circa 1924. Ground was broken October 12, 1922 and the school opened, September 21, 1923 with principal Ethel C. Youngblood and enrollment of approximately 300 students. The class of 1964 was the last to graduate from SHS.