Haynies Corner and Evansville Sitting in a Tree…

Last year when the Evansville City Council officially declared Haynie’s Corner an art district many saw it as the beginning of a revitalization of the area. Not since the 70’s has Haynie’s Corner been a major destination for Evansville natives and visitors. Declaring it an official arts district is just the start of the city’s plans to expand and revitalize the area.

The city council took the next step last night at their meeting. Council president Keith Jarboe wants to create an advisory committee to seek out grants to fund new artists and publicize existing ones in the district. Jarboe also wants to apply to have areas of the district rezoned so that artists are allowed to run small galleries inside the homes in the neighborhood. Jarboe argues that this will not only help in the revitalization process, but also boost Evansville’s small business numbers since each gallery is considered a small business.

There’s still much work to be done. The council will reconvene in two weeks to decide on whether to create the advisory board. Whether the zoning changes will pass will be decided next month.

This is exciting to me. While I’m not much of an artist, the Alhambra is one of my favorite pieces of Evansville architecture and a staple of Haynie’s Corner. Anything that brings more people to that area is fine with me. What about you? Is this something you’re interested in? Is it worth the time and money to revitalize the art district?

photo courtesy of SUPERBANANABOMB