Elevator Installed in NY Art Center 13 Years After Shaft

A new elevator is being installed in the Putnam Arts Council’s Belle Levine Art Center, which is housed in a renovated 1800s barn, in Mahopac, NY, Patch.com reports. The two-story structure consists of an art gallery, vestibule, classroom/workspace, artist residency space, pottery studio, printmaking studio, storage space and two accessible restrooms. The new elevator, costing about US$43,000, will provide universal access to both floors of the Levine Center and make it easier to transport heavy supplies and materials around the facility for art projects. The elevator comes 13 years after the center was renovated and an elevator shaft was put in. Now, the arts council is able to complete the project, which also includes a new HVAC unit and an upgraded security system. The upgrades were funded through a US$50,000 state grant that New York Sen. Pete Harckham secured in March 2022. The grant funding was secured within the State and Municipal Facilities Program, which is among the grant programs administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York to support community and economic development.