04/30/2012

Art Center Gives Spark to Downtown

"A spotlight directed people to downtown Middletown (OH) a year ago when the Pendleton Art Center opened, and many say that energy has not left.

It’s too soon to measure the economic impact of the center, but it draws hundreds to downtown monthly, said Suzanne Sizer, the center’s spokeswoman.

'It shows that there was a need to jump start the arts downtown,' she said. 'The interest to be downtown is growing stronger and I think we helped generate that.'

The center, which rents space to artists to showcase their work, has drawn many outside the city to downtown, said Bill Triick, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe, and Trenton.

'This city didn’t have—until a couple of years ago—a recognizable future. Now there is a recognizable future,' Triick said. The Pendleton and downtown are 'not going to drive the whole city, but it’s going to drive this portion of the city. People now have confidence and they know it’s going to get better.'

The center—founded by Jim Verdin, president of Cincinnati-based Verdin Bells and Clocks—was the first significant development in years. The Pendleton chain, which includes Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Indiana, and media coverage created a newfound buzz for downtown.

While there’s some debate if the center, 1105 Central Ave., was the force that restarted the area’s economic development, most agree the center has been an asset.

'I think that the fact the Pendleton Art Centers have been successful,' Sizer said. 'So when we came in, there was plenty of excitement about it, and we filled up right away.'

The center will celebrate its first anniversary Friday during a First Friday event that was started by the Pendleton last year to drive people downtown."

Middletown Journal 04/28/2012