Business developers announce new project for 'Altoona Renaissance'
ALTOONA -- Arts Altoona announced Tuesday that the nonprofit plans to turn the old Kress department store building into a studio and gallery during what they call a "renaissance" downtown.
Many downtown storefronts have been empty for years, leaving remnants of the city's economic heyday.
That's until recently -- The Clay Cup Coffee shop, Fox Hollow Boutique, Bill Sell's Bold, Railroad City Brewing Co. and several other businesses have revitalized the area and breathed new life into the historic structures.
"All of this seems to be happening and has a synergy, building on the base of the Mishler Theater, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Arts, the Discovery Center all being here in a core nucleus area." Donna Gority with Arts Altoona said.
Gority said the new Kress space, which is tentatively called the Studio Arts Center, draws inspiration from other models around the state.
The developers said they would like to include a farm-to-table restaurant and a roof-top biergarten, similar to that of Millworks in Harrisburg, which ties together art, brewery, food and historical preservation of the structure, according to its website.
"Using reclaimed lumber salvaged from the building, which was formerly the Stokes Millwork, the design preserves the historic timber and brick feel to bring together a true bohemian atmosphere," the website reads.
The building chairperson, Ken Decker, said Penn State architecture students will be involved in the initial design.
"Can you imagine having a group of kids that has a blank canvas to say, 'OK, here's what we'd like to see here,'" Decker said.
Arts Altoona is not alone in the renovation project.
"If we can't make something of this town now I mean it's like all the forces are aligned," Judy Coutts of A Better Address LLC said at the Kress building announcement.
She said A Better Address is turning the old Dunmire building across from the Railroaders Memorial Museum into high-end apartments upstairs and "escape room downstairs." The storefront adjacent to the "escape room" is open for lease.
"I believe it's one of the oldest commercial structures on the east side of Altoona, and the original maps show it as a dining hall and a rooming house," Coutts said,
She said the building is about 125 years old.
Like many of the renaissance projects, Coutts plans to keep many of the historic structures within the building, including door trimmings, high ceilings and large windows.
The spaces in the Dunmire should be finished by spring, but A Better Address is leasing them out now, Coutts said.
The Kress building project ties in its history as well. Gority said an artist created the logo, which matches the old design on the front of the building.
Development leaders expect these projects to spur even further economic development.
"We see more and more people investing in Altoona and in other areas of Blair county as well," Gority said.
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