There is a lot of Red Lodge history within the walls of Old Roosevelt School.   Revitalizing “Old Roosevelt” with the goal to strengthen and transform our community through engagement with the arts is the mission of A Place for Our Arts a committee, under the auspices of the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation, which represents community organizations committed to the arts, economic prosperity, and a thriving community.  The initiative to restore, reuse, and revitalize Old Roosevelt gained momentum  on March 29th when the community came to Old Roosevelt for a forum hosted by the Beartooth Front Community Forum.  The forum provided participants with the opportunity to explore all of the building, talk about potential uses  of the building, and  express themselves about the future of this important land mark.   The participants voted with their voices and their ideas;   possible uses for this facility in the future include performance space, community classroom space, convention space, retail space, a community kitchen, living-working space for artists, recreation space and office space.

Three organizations have stepped up to drive this initiative forward;  the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation, the Red Lodge Public Schools Foundation and the Carbon County Arts Guild,  to secure the future of this land mark so it serves our community for many many years to come.  Critical next steps include a feasibility study;  a preliminary architectural report – including project phasing;  development of the governance structure; and funding strategies.

The next meeting is May 14th at 9 am at the RLACF.  We are seeking volunteers to help with this project and we are seeking financial support for the feasibility study.  If you are interested in helping with this project please contact the Red Lodge Area Community Foundation at 406 446-2820, 122 Hauser Ave. S. or visit our web site www.rlacf.org.