Curtain to rise in Louisa

By Janet Caggiano, Media General News Service
Published: August 15, 2008

LOUISA — The options were few.

Tear down the 1907 school and replace it with condos, or transform the structure into an arts center.

The decision was easy.

“The building has a lot of history,” said Pam Stone, president of the Louisa Downtown Development Corporation. “It seemed a shame to raze it when it has such special meaning to a lot of people.”

Tomorrow, the town will celebrate the restoration of the building with the grand opening of the Cooke-Haley Theatre. The 200-seat theater will showcase dance, music, comedy and film.

“The arts are important everywhere, be it a rural community or a city,” said Peggy Weston, director of the Louisa Arts Center, which features the theater and the Purcell Gallery. “The arts provide balance in life. They make us happy. This is a wonderful use for the building.”

The structure was used as a high school for 33 years, then as a elementary school until 1987. It stood vacant until 2006, when a renovation project brought it back to life. The town’s administration moved in, but community members wanted more.

“It was a quality-of-life decision,” said Town Manager Brian W. Marks.

After more renovation, Purcell Gallery opened inside the Louisa Arts Center a year ago. The gallery showcases art exhibits and has classrooms for art workshops and activities for children.

Work on the theater continued until last month, when the first concert was held celebrating American music. The theater is in what was the school’s auditorium.

“It was in terrible disarray,” Weston said. “It was just a mess. Literally, there were weeds coming up through the floor.”

Saturday’s grand opening will feature free entertainment, including the Dixie Power Trio, the Shelton Brothers and the Louisa Community Chorale. At 8 p.m., the Fat Ammons Band will perform. Tickets are $20.

“The hope is that people will come and engage themselves in the experience,” Weston said.

Behind the arts center is a 3-acre park where children can burn off energy on playground equipment or on walking trails.

The art center cost about $4.5 million, with about $500,000 more needed to meet budget. The center is selling seats in the theater for $500 each and bricks on the patio for $150 each to help raise the funds.

“Louisa has always been a community of church, athletics, service organizations and so on,” Stone said. “This really rounds out the community. But it’s not just a town project. It’s filling a void in the entire county. With pride, we are moving the community forward.”

Janet Caggiano is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.