New Union Center for the Arts
Built in 1874 of brick and
Amherst sandstone
Architect: Walter Blythe (Cleveland)
Originally built as the Union School for all Oberlin
public school children, this building later became the Oberlin High School.
Eventually known as Westervelt Hall, it was used through the 1960s as a classroom
and office building for Oberlin College. In 1994, the Nord Family Foundation purchased the building from Oberlin developer A.H. "Kenny" Clark -- who
had preserved its essential structure for a number of years. Its future was
assured when the Nord Family Foundation undertook a major renovation of the
building for use as a community art center for Lorain County. The official
dedication of the New Union Center for the Arts took place on June 21, 1996.
In 1997, The Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization (OHIO) reconstructed
and installed the bell tower. The new school bell now rings at noon and 6
p.m.
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The Tenants of the New Union Center for the Arts include the following not-for-profit arts organizations:
- Choral Spectrum
- The Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA)
- The MAD* Factory
- Northern Ohio Youth Orchestras
- Ohio Dance Theatre
- Oberlin Choristers
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FURTHER INFORMATION
The artwork displayed in the halls of the New Union Center for the Arts is the creation of students in the Lorain County schools. With the support of the Stocker Foundation, volunteers from The Firelands Association for the Visual Arts framed and installed the artwork, which was selected, with the assistance of area art teachers and Lorain artist Karen Miraldi, to be part of a permanent collection for the Center. Each work is a gift of the artist to the project.
The New Union Center for the Arts is a major example of Victorian Gothic architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An endowment fund for the Center is established at the Community Foundation of Greater Lorain County.
The Tenants of the New Union Center for the Arts give their 'artfelt thanks to Jane Nord, whose vision and persistence made it possible.
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Firelands Association for the Visual
Arts
39 South Main Street
Oberlin, Ohio 44074
phone: (440) 774-7158
fax: (440) 775- 1107
email: favagallery@oberlin.net