Tryon Fine Arts Center (TFAC) officials said the three TFAC-owned houses slated for demolition near the center’s main facility on Melrose Ave. have been stripped of salvageable items and are ready to be torn down. Demolition was scheduled to begin July 9 but was delayed, possibly by weather, TFAC said.
Other temporary signs of a landscape in transition, according to TFAC, are the shells of the three buildings and the mud patches in the land left from the removal of several trees.
Changes to the TFAC property began in June as Habitat for Humanity harvested building supplies for home construction and items for its Landrum resale store. Asbestos abatement in all three structures was necessary, adding an additional segment to the demolition stage of the project.
Preparation for the new campus continued as some of the trees – many of which were dead, diseased or overcome with insects or ivy – were cleared from the property, making room for a planned landscape featuring native and Noble trees.
Next in the timeline is the removal of the three buildings, followed by preliminary grading to the hillside.
TFAC board member Mike Gron said, “Barry Pace is managing the initial phase of our project. Pace Construction has been in business for more than 20 years and gave us an excellent bid in addition to the best assurance that the refuse from the project would be disposed and recycled in the most expeditious manner.“
The project is scheduled to be complete by Jan. 31, 2013, in time for the annual Children’s Theater Festival in March. TFAC said adequate time has been built into the proposed schedule, allowing for potential delays caused by inclement weather.
The master site plan will bring improved access to the current facility, handicapped parking, expanded green space and a 150-seat amphitheater.
Gron said TFAC is making every effort to utilize resources and businesses available in the area.
“We would like this project to be one in which the community feels they have had input, participation and approval,” said Gron.
Tryon Fine Arts Center opened its doors at 34 Melrose Avenue in February of 1969, the result of the hard work of many arts organizations and community leaders. Reminiscing recently about the many hurdles faced during the Tryon Fine Arts Center’s early years, Elizabeth Landrum, wife of founding trustee John G. Landrum Jr., remarked, “While my memories are indeed bittersweet, I’m proud of the years the houses served so many and I’m honestly excited about the upcoming transformation of the land my husband worked hard to acquire.  I think he, too, would be pleased that his continual focus on TFAC’s future will continue to serve the community.”
Landrum continued, “The new plans for the campus would surely please the many generous donors who shared our vision for a unified, useful and beautiful campus.”
In an effort to keep the public aware and involved in the changes at TFAC, Gron has developed a website for the renovation project at www.tfacmasterplan.com. For information about the project, visit wwwtryonarts.org or call TFAC at 828-859-8322.
– article submitted
by Marianne Carruth