Phoenixville's Arts and Entertainment Economic Development Strategy
The arts and entertainment economic development strategy is being employed to revitalize the downtown. The strategy has been approved by the Phoenixville Area Business Association and the Borough Council. The strategy involves creating a creative arts and entertainment district in the downtown which will act as a regional entertainment destination.
A four block area will be repositioned in the regional marketplace with a strategy that utilizes public art installations, live performances, film, dining destinations and the development of creative cultural events as elements of revitalization. The repositioning activities will be supplemented by the recruitment of commercial establishments to fill retail space that would have a symbiotic relationship with the economic development strategy. The CDC and the Borough are currently conducting a market analysis to find potential businesses for the downtown that are compatible in the arts and entertainment economic development strategy.
The effort began with the improvements in the streetscape to develop areas for outdoor dining and performance space. There has been four million dollars designated for the downtown streetscape project with the two million dollar final phase starting construction in August 2007. The Colonial Theatre was declared an anchor building project by the Commonwealth approximately the same time the streetscape improvements were approved. Funds were then made available to repair and open the balcony expanding the seating to accommodate live entertainment.
The balcony opened in the Colonial Theatre in late 2004 and the beginning of the live show portion of the strategy was started. The development of the foundry building by the Hankin Group will offer and addition entertainment outlet in the downtown to supplement the Colonial Theatre. The developer hopes to have the Foundry ready as a 400 seat concert venue in September of 2007. These two venues would draw over one thousand people for available seats if each venue booked a concert for a particular night. Some nights there will be a movie at the theatre and a concert at the foundry. In any case six hundred to one thousand people would be in downtown Phoenixville on any given night. The addition of Steel City Coffee House and bars promoting nightlife and entertainment make the crowds swell on the weekends.
In addition to the existing indoor live entertainment venues there will be a need to construct a public outdoor performance venue in the downtown area. Each Friday during the summer the CDC offers the summer street music program featuring local and regional bands to play for free on the street. Starting in 2007 there will be limited performances on Saturday afternoon in an effort to draw crowds to the downtown.
The strategy would dictate an increase in public art throughout the downtown and residential areas surrounding the downtown. Murals will need to be completed and sculptures needed to be commissioned. A coordinated effort to include the trail system with the placements of public art will enhance the gateway to any visitor. Significant sculptures and public art may be too expensive to fund in one year's allotment. There may be a need to borrow on future proceeds in order to provide the quality and world class public arts program that will rival any in the region.
The use of the arts and entertainment vehicles for drawing people to come to the downtown commercial area will generate a change in the perception of the downtown. Repositioning a town in the regional marketplace is not a short term effort. Years of image influencing events has shaped Phoenixville's downtown image. The physical improvements have improved the presentation of the downtown. Increased police presence has worked to eliminate many of the problem areas on the street. The effort over a 20 year period will ensure that the town remains revitalized and is functioning at a higher level of commerce generation for years to come.
Over the twenty year period there are many arts infrastructure projects which will need to be completed to define the downtown's efforts in repositioning. One or two large signature sculptures which possibly could cost in the area of $300,000 would be commissioned to recognized artists. Murals will need to be phased in throughout the downtown to enable a critical mass of art located in a specific four block area. Music venues and outdoor performances will distinguish the area and draw crowds to the town and, depending upon the act, bring new visitors to the town. Foot traffic in the downtown will need to be driven by the arts and entertainment strategy because of the lack of commercial office buildings in the downtown.
There will be a need to publicize the fact that we are an arts and entertainment district in order to allow for the concept to grow in the regional marketplace. The arts infrastructure will evolve in the first ten to twelve years. Images are created over decades of continuous reinforcement and needs a long term strategy. Repositioning of a downtown area in a new and fresh direction needs time to develop and needs the support and interest of the entire community.
The City of Philadelphia has recently appropriated 150 million dollars in arts funding to support the arts in the City. Our effort will be much smaller but equal in many ways. We will distinguish ourselves as a smaller alternate venue for arts and entertainment. The very act of providing a complimentary and sometimes competing entity will enable the Bough to present a lesser cost and closer alternative for the entertainment and cultural dollar.