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PCCA inherited Landis House in 2007 from the Estate of Mary M. Landis, who wished it to become PCCA offices and a venue for recitals and exhibits. The Landis Family’s roots found Perry County in the mid-1800s.
From1919 to 1933, they lived in Hamburg, Germany, acquiring real estate, artwork, and numerous other treasures. Upon being swept up in events of world significance, they returned to the US in 1933 and purchased the house on the corner of Fourth and Walnut in Newport in 1938.
The contents of their home in Hamburg – complete with artwork, furnishings, and a magnificent Bechstein piano – were shipped to Perry County from the Port of Baltimore in four railroad cars. Mary M. Landis, who inherited the house from her parents, bequeathed Landis House to PCCA upon her death in 2004 to become PCCA offices and a venue for recitals and exhibitions.
Landis House had suffered from years of neglect, both inside and out, but its potential as a community arts center of regional significance was obvious from the beginning. After taking possession 2007, the Board initiated a construction project to rehabilitate a derelict detached garage and build a connecting lobby between the garage and the 4000 square foot main house.
In June 2008, half the PCCA staff moved from their cramped office space at the PCCA Gallery to the newly rehabbed area in Landis House. Over the following year, in the midst of the recession, legions of volunteers showed up for session after session of junk removal, safe storage of important artifacts, plus wallpaper scraping, sanding, and painting in five downstairs rooms.
By September 2009, a cosmetically rehabbed Landis House opened its first exhibit, Central PA Self-Portraits, which drew visitors from around the state. We have since displayed numerous exhibits and held recitals of Celtic, classical, folk, and bluegrass music, piano and guitar students, and one magical evening of show tunes.
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