SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - The remains of the former century-old Walkin-Shoe Company are now being turned into new studios for artists at the nonprofit artist incubator which opened there two years ago.
"We have started retrofitting the third floor of the building with artist studios, one of the main elements of our overall plan for the Walk-In Art Center," Albert L. Evans Jr., Orwigsburg, chairman of the center's board of directors, said in a recent press release.
The new studios are expected to be open in May, according to Nena Mazzei-Schmidt, the center's executive director.
Artists interested in studio space can contact the center's administrative staff at walkinartcenter.org.
Located in the former 87,000-square-foot shoe factory at 100-110 W. Columbia St., the multimillion- dollar art center is an incubator established to educate people about the arts.
The shoe factory opened there in 1887 and closed in the 1980s.
Evans is chairman of Evans Delivery Co., Pottsville, which operates more than 1,300 tractors, providing transportation services in the intermodal, truckload and flatbed markets, according to evansdelivery.com.
In 2002, doing business as "562 Terminal Facility Ltd. Prns.," he bought the building from the Walkin-Shoe Company for $350,000, according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.
He said he purchased the building to reinvigorate the economy and downtown area.
In 2008, the Schuylkill Haven police department became one of the tenants.
In 2010, using both his own money and funding Schuylkill River Heritage Foundation, Evans started development of the Walk-In Art Center on the second and third floors, according to Mazzei-Schmidt.
Evans is financing the work being done to establish the artist studios on the third floor. "It's more than $400,000," Mazzei-Schmidt said.
Evans was in Florida on Monday and unavailable for comment, according to Mazzei-Schmidt.
Levkulic Associates, Pottsville, did the engineering work for the project and L&K Construction, Pottsville, is the general contractor, according to Mazzei-Schmidt.
"Last year we began the teaching component at the Walk-In Art Center. We constructed a visual arts classroom used by Penn State University as well as classrooms and offices used by the Schuylkill County Education Council," Evans said in the recent press release.
"The new artist studios will allow several dozen of our talented local artists and artisans to create and display artwork in a light-filled, historic environment open to the public," Evans said.
Looking ahead, Mazzei-Schmidt said there are plans to establish a multi-purpose room for events, and an industry museum, showing how the Schuylkill River and canal were important to the early growth of the area.
In January 2011, Penn State Schuylkill and the Schuylkill Community Education Council began offering classes out of the second floor of the building.
"We really expect the Walk-In Art Center to be a great draw for Schuylkill Haven and the county in general. Penn State and SCEC have already added vitality to the Parkway where the Walk In Art Center is located, and we can't wait for the artist studios to be completed," Gary Hess, Walk-In Art Center board member, Schuylkill County commissioner and former Mayor of Schuylkill Haven said last week.
The Walk In Art Center is one of a five-pronged effort to revitalize the borough and create year-round tourist attractions. The Island project, Schuylkill River project, Route 61 corridor and downtown revitalization are the four related projects, all directed through their own steering committees, according to Evans.