Cultural Center Eyed for Lock Haven Masonic Temple Building
By Scott Johnson
LOCK HAVEN – Downtown Lock Haven Inc. and the Clinton County Arts Council want to make the historic Lock Haven Masonic Temple into a cultural-business-community-performing arts center for the area, and are seeking those from the community – organizations, businesses and individuals – to collaborate in this effort.
The first public step was taken Tuesday evening at the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven meeting in the community room at the Ross Public Library.
Bob Rolley, DLH Inc. president, and Steve Getz, DLH Inc and Clinton County Arts council board member, detailed the plans to Rotary members for an hour. Rolley said the members of Lodge 199, Free & Accepted Masons, and its officials have voted to gift the building to the two organizations for $1 to turn the building into a cultural hub for the city. He noted it would be a five-year business agreement which will come to a vote by members of DLH Inc. on Feb. 4.
“It will give us five years to come up with a strategic plan to preserve it and include public use,” Rolley said, noting the major work would be an elevator. Otherwise, he said the “bones” of the building are solid and any other work would likely be restoration of other areas. The group would then apply for a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for an architectural /engineering study to make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and a business plan to maintain it.
The deadline for that grant is March 3, with a decision likely in June, Rolley said, noting the assessed value of the building would go a long ways toward a successful grant, along with community involvement. “We hope we can raise a reasonable amount of dollars,” he said. “If this doesn’t happen, who knows what’s going to happen to this building… It is an historical gem.”
Rolley added the Masons would get priority use of the building with a schedule.
“This is pretty exciting and is what we have to do as a community,” he said. Rolley then noted Williamsport and State College have similar community centers with the Community Arts Center and State Theater, respectively. “We deserve that, like the CAC and the State Theater,” Rolley forcibly said. “Little old Lock Haven needs its little piece… It’s our turn now… We are a bedroom community and we’ve got to wake up. “Can we do this? Can we raise the money and can we have a sustainable business plan? We need to partner with other organizations,” he continued.
Getz marveled at the Masonic Lodge with its structural integrity, its 200-people capacity performance center, its historical artifacts and its location in the heart of Downtown Lock Haven.
“If you try to build this today, you couldn’t do it,” he said, noting DLH Inc. and CCAC want the Masons to be part of this project. Getz noted the 200-capacity performance center is not financially sustainable. He envisions adding a technology incubator, office space, music studio, etc.
“It’s once in a generation we can do this… Why not do this?” Getz said. He added the area already has its natural attractions (mountains, river, trout streams, etc.) that are already bringing people into Lock Haven and Clinton County. These people, Getz said, are then looking for activities at night like brew pubs, wineries, live music.
“It’s a hugely growing market and nature-based recreation, and we already have that,” Getz said, noting worldwide, nature-based tourism is a $10 trillion industry. “I don’t see the Masonic Temple as an expense, I see it as an investment.”
He also noted the amount of professional people who work in the city and live in surrounding counties. All of the Rotary members nodded in agreement. “What we need here is small compared to the investment to Clinton County,” Getz said. “It’s going to be something that Main Street needs. “This project is a giver. It brings people into the community,” he continued. “It’s an investment I think we, as a community, need to make.”
Rolley noted the big part is the feasibility study into what will be restorative and what will be change to the building.
Rotary member Bonnie Hannis remarked on the one thing she has heard over and over again from visitors to the city and county is how our “people are really friendly.” All agreed with that statement.
Rolley said the two organizations plan on giving quarterly, public reports on the planned
project and be fully transparent about it. “We also need a community-wide campaign,” he said. “A lot of communities have done this and turned their Masonic Temple into a cultural center.”
There were concerns from Rotary members about parking. Getz responded the city has provided free parking for various events, but most events from the proposed cultural center would be held at night when the meters are off. He added that State College and Williamsport are worse than Lock Haven with parking issues.
Hannis added the public can also take public transit and more education needs to be done about that. The rest of the discussion centered on various multi-organizational cooperation with many events in Clinton County. Rolley and Getz noted numerous times that if done right, and with significant support, a cultural-community-performance center could be a “game-changer” for Lock Haven and Clinton County.
