By Philip Roszak
It’s Friday night. You and your friends stand in a new, white-walled gallery in the back of an old brick machine shop and study challenging digital photo collages. The pieces, by a local artist, blend images of people with advertisements, skylines, landscapes, fire and explosion.
Later, you can grab a classic cocktail at a distillery that makes its own whiskey, vodka and gin. Or you can stay the night in a hotel where each room is a rotating art exhibit.
Are you in New York? Chicago? Berlin?
No.
“We are in Lancaster, which is mostly known for the Amish,” said Amber Strazzo, a communications specialist for the city’s Office of Promotion. “Most people don’t expect a hip downtown.”
Lancaster, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch County, has become a center for art, music, food and drink, all of it holding to the motto “a city authentic.”
“We have a great mix of restaurants, bars and stores,” said Jennifer Baker, director of city’s Office of Promotion. “So much of it is walkable. It’s all in a six or eight block area.”
Lancaster’s downtown is centered around two streets, Prince and Queen, that run north and south through the city. On the two streets visitors can find art galleries, stores, restaurants, and performance venues.
Founded in 1729, Lancaster is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. In the last 10 years the city has experienced a revival that highlights its rich history and embraces new trends. Lancaster is “where history meets urban vibrancy,” Baker said.
“It’s been very much community driven,” said Hawa Lassanah, director of Discerning Eye Center for the Arts. “When I first came here many of the downtown businesses were vacant. Over the last 10 years there has been a greater demand.”
The strong arts community in Lancaster has been at the cutting edge of the city’s revival. While it is growing now more than ever, a vibrant art scene is nothing new for Lancaster.
In the 1960’s Armstrong Industries, one of the largest employers in the town, brought designers and visual artists to work in their flooring and building materials design department. That along with the two colleges in town, Pennsylvania Academy of Art and Design and Millersville College, set the foundation for what is happening now, Lassanah said.
In September 2014, Lassanah opened Discerning Eye Center for Arts (DECA) in the former Bowers Machine Co. shop. Behind the old, red-brick building’s double wooden loading dock doors is a gallery and work space for artists.
“[DECA is] geared towards putting emerging artists on a level playing field,” Lassanah said. “We also stress the importance of art ownership, buying local art and creating our own legacy.”
Gallery Row, a string of shops and galleries on Prince Street, focuses on more traditional arts. DECA shows a wide range of work that focuses on contemporary and challenging pieces, like Clinton Reckart’s collages.
“That’s what sets us apart,” Lassanah said.
Sunshine Art+Design is another gallery focusing on doing something new.
“The catalyst to open it was there weren’t many spaces showing a variety of artists,” said Annie Kerekgayarto, director of Sunshine Art+Design. “Variety is a main goal.”
Visitors might also come to the city for a concert or theater event. In addition to performing arts venues like the Ware Center and Fulton Theater, Lancaster has a number of rock venues, Strazzo said.
The Chameleon Club, located a block off of Prince Street, is an institution in Lancaster. The club has everything from national touring groups to local bands and open mic nights.
“We do get really surprising acts,” Strazzo said.
One of the most interesting venues in the city is a hybrid performance space and bar.
“Tellus360 started as a store but over time has evolved into a fun music venue that sells out regularly,” Strazzo said.
With three floors and a rooftop, Tellus360 is a huge space, yet it still feels cozy and intimate. The interior is covered in reclaimed building materials and vintage styled furniture. Every part of Tellus360 has received special attention.
“You have to check out the bathrooms,” Lassanah said.
Inside, old door frames cover the walls like wood paneling. A long sloping concrete sink creates the effect of washing your hands in a tiny waterfall over a steep river valley.
Windows that offer great views of the city surround the third floor of Tellus360. Guests can enjoy a drink and browse shelves full of vinyl records and books. Dartboards and a pool and ping-pong table are open at no charge for guests to engage in friendly competition. Red velvet chairs and sofas make a great place to sit and talk. Tellus360 serves all the drinks you would expect from an Irish bar and a selection of great food.
Visitors might even meet the owner, Joe Devoy, who is eager to talk with whoever comes in. The place he created is authentic to his feelings.
“Everything is recycled, everything is reused,” Devoy said.
The Horse Inn, considered the oldest restaurant in the city, is another Lancaster favorite, Kerekgayarto said. Originally a horse stable, it was converted into a restaurant many years ago.
It is more than the atmosphere, it is the people that make Lancaster shops and restaurants great places to visit, Kerekgayarto said.
“Everyone, the bartenders and shopkeepers, are very friendly and excited to talk,” Kerekgayarto said. “There are a lot of underground things happening and Lancaster is always changing.”
A newer restaurant in Lancaster is Rachel’s Cafe and Creperie. Lassanah, Rachel’s friend, said people were skeptical when she wanted to open a crepe restaurant.
Now, “there are people who have come from New York City just to go to her restaurant and then drive back,” Lassanah said.
Commonwealth on Queen is just across the street across from a tire shop that claims to be the “world’s oldest Goodyear dealer.” The restaurant specializes in breakfast and lunch and with sun streaming through the floor to ceiling windows it is a great place to spend a morning.
Commonwealth on Queen serves a number of delicious specialty drinks like the lavender white hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and with lavender flowers. The restaurant focuses on serving local and in season food. It is part of a larger “farm to table” movement that emphasizes using quality ingredients from local sources.
The farm to table movement in Lancaster began with an alliterative restaurant in an old tobacco warehouse.
“John J. Jeffries really expanded the farm to table movement,” Lassanah said. “It made it a part of the city that was mandatory.”
John J. Jeffries combines a comfortable, almost cozy, atmosphere with some of the finest dining in Lancaster.
“They can be very comfortable while still being very top notch,” Lassanah said. “They have melded very nicely the traditional feel of Lancaster while still being modern.”
Also in the old tobacco warehouse is the Lancaster Art Hotel. The guest rooms of the hotel are an exhibit. The decorations are created by a variety of artists. While having all the amenities of a modern hotel, Lancaster Arts also highlights the history of the building. Red brick walls are visible everywhere, as well as gigantic wood posts and beams.
“It is an awesome place,” Strazzo said. “You walk in and there is art everywhere.”