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MARYVILLE

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News Brief

June 9, 2025

Abandoned brick schoolhouse has been repurposed as a creative space centered on accessibility

Eastern Iowa Arts Academy announces the repurposing of Arthur Elementary School

© 2025 Eastern Iowa Arts Academy

The Eastern Iowa Arts Academy recently purchased and renovated the historic Arthur Elementary School in the City's North End. The abandoned brick schoolhouse was going to be demolished, before the arts non-profit stepped in to buy and renovate the former school. It now provides creative spaces for the city's youth. Memberships are less 200 dollars a year, and secure access to instruments, studio spaces, practice rooms, and a vibrant creative community.

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Eastern Iowa Arts Centers accessability in its mission. Executive Director Heather Wagner says ongoing updates to the building will make it ADA compliant.
The Iowa Arts Council granted the non-profit over a quarter million dollars for the project, but the handsome brick building, once slated for destruction, now stands as an example of historic re-use. Reporting for this story came from the Iowa Public News Service and Arts Midwest.

For more information on what is offered and how to be part of this repurposing, go to https://www.easterniowaartsacademy.org/about/arthur