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Art gallery pops up in Erie Terminal Building
The YHCBA’s initial goals are threefold:
Creation of a street-level gallery in the side windows of Silver’s Vogue Shop, corner of West Federal and Phelps streets, downtown.
Development of the vacant Wells Building, West Federal at Hazel Street, downtown, and other historic buildings that are in danger of being razed.
The restoration of the remaining former Wean Foundry industrial building on West Front Street, near the Market Street Bridge, into a community pavilion and park with sculptures.
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
The McKelvey Gallery’s summer art show will open Thursday in a newly renovated storefront in the Erie Terminal Building, downtown, and run until early July.
Twelve local artists will show their work in the space, at the corner of West Commerce and North Phelps Street. The exhibition will open Thursday with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m.
The artists are Dylan Weaver, James Pernotto, Lezlie Thorndike, Heather Seno, Jason Van Hoose, Michael Green, Sara Oliver, Maple Turner III, Richard Murray, Daniel Rauschenbach, Chris Yambar and Nicole Emery.
Thursday’s reception is being sponsored by Councilman Mike Ray; state Rep. Robert Hagan and his wife, Michele Lepore-Hagan, candidate for state representative; Grout Medic, Dickey Electric, Burkland Flowers and Star Supply.
NYO Property Group, which owns and manages the Erie Terminal Building, agreed to let the space be used as an art gallery. Dominic Marchionda is principal and chief executive of NYO.
The McKelvey Gallery is located in a room at the rear of Martini Brothers Burger Bar, inside the Knox Building on West Federal Street. Work is underway to transform the third floor of the Knox Building into a larger gallery. It is expected to open in the fall for a large exhibition by Turner, said Jacob Harver, an owner of the building and an arts proponent.
Although the gallery in the Erie Terminal space is a temporary usage of the space, another exhibit is already being planned for later this summer.
“We are still evolving how this space will unfold,” said Harver. “Initially we were just chatting about [it being] a temporary pop-up space, [but] it’s looking like this is too valuable to the community and culture to just be a flash in the pan.”
A portion of art sales from the exhibition will go toward the Youngstown HIstoric and Cultural Building Alliance, a newly formed group that aims to strengthen the city’s cultural standing through preservation of historic buildings.
The YHCBA’s initial goals are threefold:
• Creation of a street-level gallery in the side windows of Silver’s Vogue Shop, corner of West Federal and Phelps streets, downtown.
• Development of the vacant Wells Building, West Federal at Hazel Street, downtown, and other historic buildings that are in danger of being razed.
• The restoration of the remaining former Wean Foundry industrial building on West Front Street, near the Market Street Bridge, into a community pavilion and park with sculptures.
“The tallest part of the Wean Foundry needs to stay standing as a protected landmark,” said Harver. “Aside from its history, we expect the beauty of the place, once the paint is scraped from the windows and the steel is sandblasted, to speak for itself. The brownfield cleanup funds are already in place. The inside space, with its crane, can be used for large sculpture art. Any commercial development can also utilize the structure so long as it is protected. For instance, a new hotel could build upon it and utilize it as an atrium, grand concourse or event space.”