Community art center headed to Philipsburg as revitalization efforts continue
As a kid, Lynn Anne Verbeck fantasized about opening a storefront in downtown Philipsburg, during a time when her family could do all of their shopping on North Front Street. As she grew up and the town began to fade, she put her dream on hold.
But a renewed energy convinced the artist that it’s time to permanently set up shop.
“I always had this vision that the community could come together and be self-sustaining in a way where you don’t have to run to State College or Altoona to get your culture,” Verbeck said. “There was a missing link — an artist community and a space where kids could come.”
With help from the Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation — a nonprofit dedicated to community and economic development — Verbeck’s childhood vision is coming to fruition. She plans to open a community art center and accompanying coffee shop at 104 N. Front St.
Verbeck, who spent 17 years living in New York City, came back to the area in 2011. Teaching ceramics and pottery out of a makeshift studio in a four-car garage, she wanted to move to a more permanent space to foster a collaborative environment she felt in the city.
“All of my equipment has just been waiting to have a permanent home,” Verbeck said. “We can have this community art center, a place where people can have a membership if they’re more advanced and a space for good, clean fun.”
Since restructuring in 2018, the PRC has filled a dozen empty storefronts with artisans and local retailers by restoring abandoned properties and organized events that have attracted thousands of visitors to the area.
“It gave me this fortitude to believe in our town,” Verbeck said. “I think all of my fears just kind of went away.”
PRC President Eric Kelmenson has been working on Front Street restoration projects for over four years. In that time, he said he’s witnessed Philipsburg come back to life. With more cars parked on the street and an uptick in visitors coming to local businesses, there’s a noticeable energy downtown, he said.
“It’s special. It’s sort of validation that it’s not just a few crazies who think Philipsburg is a cool, beautiful town,” he said. “It’s quaint. It’s historic, but it’s really dense. There can be a lot of people doing a lot of things, and it feeds onto itself.”
Restoring the 104. N. Front St. property is the most ambitious project the PRC has undertaken, but Kelmenson believes it’ll be the best decision the nonprofit has made in years.
“As a nonprofit, you’re always sort of struggling to survive, and this will give us permanency,” he said. “It’ll give us a home. It’ll also generate some income for us, so we should have more financial stability. We’re also fixing up an eyesore and helping awesome people realize their passions and dreams.”
With a tentative fall 2021 opening date, the PRC’s biggest challenge is fundraising. A $68,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund will help pay for the affordable housing units, and the nonprofit also organized a GoFundMe for donations to its building fund.
“It’s tough to be a nonprofit, especially over the past year, but I think at this point, we have enough momentum to put ourselves in a solid position to continue,” Kelmenson said.
Eager to move into the space, Verbeck said the PRC is bringing back the Philipsburg she remembers from childhood.
“I feel like it’s coming back,” she said. “The paradigm is shifting now, and it’s just a matter of time.”
