History and Mission:
On a single day in September of 1999, the Arts Center's four buildings were destroyed when the flood following Hurricane Floyd inundated 25% of Rocky Mount. In the four years preceding Hurricane Floyd, three of the Arts Center buildings had been flooded twice, and the Children's Museum had been seriously threatened. Acknowledging the likelihood of future flooding, since both institutions were located in the flood plain, City Council decided not to rebuild at the old sites.

City Council designated the old Imperial Tobacco Factory site in downtown Rocky Mount, in combination with the adjacent old Braswell Memorial Library site (a new library was built across the street) as the new permanent location for the Arts Center and the Children's Museum. The new facilities make use of a portion of the old tobacco factory and the entire old library, thus preserving links with Rocky Mount's past. The theatre is united with visual arts and the Children's Museum by a common plaza. This positions all the facilities as close neighbors with one another and with the new Braswell Memorial Library, creating a significant cultural complex with potential for interrelated projects and activities beyond the individual programming capacity of each part.

The cultural complex, generating significant traffic, has the potential to impact positively on the downtown area. It also illustrates the City's commitment to its historic core and complements to the renovated train station and fire stations at the opposite (south) end of the old business district. The cultural center also eliminates a prominent eyesore and creates a beautiful entrance to downtown from Highway 64. A busy cultural center anchoring the north end of downtown, and the busiest Amtrak station in the state anchoring the south, provides encouragement for commercial investment. Rocky Mount's location at the juncture of Interstate 95 and Highway 64 makes visiting by automobile very easy for most North Carolinians and residents of neighboring states, and area tourism could increase.

The Arts Center and the Children's Museum, located in the same complex, hold strong potential for becoming an educational and recreational resource for eastern North Carolina. Staff is currently working to position the new center to partner with East Carolina University and other regional science and arts organizations. Both institutions will expand and add to their current programs. Both institutions will gain permanent exhibition, class and studio space. The Arts Center has a second stage (rehearsal hall), and the planetarium is an important element in the Children's Museum's program.

The Arts Center produces visual and performing arts programming with an emphasis on art education for all ages. Through exhibitions, community theatre, classes, and special events, the Center is able to offer programming to achieve this goal. The Arts Center is a division of the City of Rocky Mount Parks & Recreation Department.

For more information call Box Office: 252-972-1266.