Fifty-three years ago, a handful of Cape Cod artists with big dreams and a small budget came together to purchase a 100-year-old horse barn in the heart of Truro to create the art school that would grow to become the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill that we know and love today.
Now, there is an equally momentous opportunity. or the first time in 150 years, the property at 8 Meetinghouse Road, which was part of the original campus, is on the market. The roughly half-acre property is in excellent condition. It consists of a five-bedroom house and two out-buildings—a two-car garage with a second-floor studio and a long structure that once housed the Truro school bus.
Together, the three structures would give Castle Hill much-needed housing space for workshop students and staff, several more studios for classes of all kinds, dry storage space, additional parking, and new opportunities for outdoor events. Owning 8 Meetinghouse Road would not only make the campus whole, but would bring under one stewardship one of Truro’s most unique and historic properties, the Snow Family Farms.
After a careful evaluation of their financial health, the Castle Hill Board of Directors voted unanimously to make an offer on 8 Meetinghouse Road, which was accepted. To date, thanks to early enthusiasm and generosity, the organization has raised $700,000 toward the purchase price. They need to raise an additional $400,000 by May 20 in order to meet the current owners’ required closing date.
Executive Artistic Director Cherie Mittenthal says, “We are confident that this purchase will be as instrumental to Castle Hill’s continuing evolution as our purchase eight years ago of Edgewood Farm. Acquiring that beautiful property allowed us to offer more workshops, establish an artist residency program, and construct a new wood kiln, a sculpture studio and an outdoor stage suitable for major dance and musical performances.”
To that end, Castle Hill is seeking financial contributions to support the purchase. Mittenthal says, “With your help, Castle Hill can move confidently into our second half-century with two thriving campuses that together can meet the practical and creative needs of our staff and students and all who engage in and benefit from a thriving arts center in Truro.”
For more information about Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, call 508.349.7511 or visit castlehill.org.
