ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Tom S. Gettys Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is up for sale, raising concerns among local artists who fear losing their downtown studios.
City leaders have decided to sell the property, which houses art vendors, special events, and city offices.
“I never thought in my life that this building would be up for sale,” said Kim Alter, a community activist who frequents the center for arts events. “We’d come here for church and then the Friday arts group every other Monday has a drawing night so I would bring my daughter to that ... people of all ages.”
Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys says the city spends approximately $62,000 annually on maintaining the facility.
“The city has leased that property to the York County Arts Council for $100 a month for 20-some-odd years,” he said. “It has spent a lot of money on the windows, fire suppression, fire escape, and there’s still a lot to be spent on heating and air, the elevators break down often.”
The Gettys Center, originally built as a post office in the 1930s, has become a vital part of the local arts community. Artists and community members gathered recently to discuss finding a buyer who would continue to support the arts by renting the space back to them.
“I think it could dissolve the arts community completely,” Alter said. “They won’t have anywhere to go to use their studios. This is where they meet, this is where they have drawing nights. There won’t be anywhere else to hold that.”
Gettys says changing the building’s use does not mean art cannot continue in Rock Hill.
“Maybe the use of that building can be something to further increase the vibrancy we see in downtown today,” he said.
Gettys says the city has already received significant interest in the site.
The arts community is asking if it can have the opportunity to match any incoming offer.
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