Rowan County Courthouse - Morehead KY
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nomadwillie
N 38° 11.068 W 083° 26.012
17S E 286863 N 4229080
The former Rowan County Courthouse, which is now the Rowan County Arts Center, was built in 1899.
Waymark Code: WM15FT5
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 12/29/2021
Views: 2
The Rowan County Courthouse is located in the center of the commercial
district of the small northeastern town of Morehead. The building is situated on a small square bounded by streets on all sides. Set back from the street with an expanse of land in front and to the sides, the courthouse is the prominent site of the commercial district.
The present courthouse was constructed in 1899 at a cost of several thousand dollars, and replaced a smaller two-story frame structure.
The Rowan County Fiscal Court in December 1982, officially sanctioned the efforts undertaken by citizens in the county to preserve and restore the local landmark. On January 27, 1983, the Rowan County Courthouse Preservation Committee, Incorporated, was officially incorporated for the express purpose of preserving and restoring the courthouse, and to raise funds to accomplish this goal.
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In 2003, at the request of the Rowan County Judge Executive, a group of citizens representing several community organizations, including the Morehead Art Guild, The Cave Run Arts Association, the Morehead Theatre Guild, and the Rowan County Historical Society, met with an architect to discuss the feasibility of approaching the Lucille Caudill Little Foundation for a $1 million grant to be matched by local funds which would be used to create the Rowan County Arts Center.
The need for such a facility was already well established. Although there were several organizations in Rowan County committed to the development and promotion of creativity and fine arts education for all age levels, there was no single, centrally located facility in the area where a comprehensive program of arts education, appreciation and performance for local citizens had first priority. The lack of such a facility seriously limited the amount of arts programming that could be provided. The principal goal of this project was set out as follows: to make available a dedicated facility within Rowan County where all its citizens, young and old, could have active experiences with the full spectrum of creative and performing arts, including but not limited to painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, music, dance, drama, and film.
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