Lots of great art here. The building itself contains multiple different establishments and galleries throughout. Visit on the first Friday of every month for the open house.
July 2023
First Fridays are very cool. Ecclectic crowd, unique collection of artists, styles & interpretations. The Murphy Art Center itself combines vintage setting with a diverse array of digital , modern, alternative arts & expression. Even areas for vendors and a thrift shop with a DJ.
September 2022
Love it! First Friday is always the best. People are super friendly, artistic and just very down to earth. Plenty of vendors, makers, creators, and artists.
Originally built in the mid 1880’s and 1920’s it is comprised of two buildings, one a commercial storefront with lodging on the second floor, and the other a vaudeville movie house. In 1951 the G.C. Murphy Company purchased both structures and combined them into one 57,000 square foot retail building with stockrooms and management offices on the second and third floors. In 1998 The Murphy Store ceased operations. The building was turned over to a local community development corporation for renovation into a center for the arts and business with retail spaces along Virginia Avenue. It flourished based upon owner occupancy, but by 2006 it began to decline. The building was rescued from foreclosure in September 2009.
