Landis House Creative Commons
Arthur Clair Landis, who worked for Swift and Company, married Bertha Rippman of Millerstown in 1900. They lived in Cuba until 1919, when post-war opportunities led to his transfer to Germany.  Clair, Bertha, and their 5 children moved to Europe and eventually purchased a house, along with many of its furnishings and art work, in Hamburg,. In 1933, with the rise of National Socialism, the Landis family placed the furnishings and artwork in storage and returned to Perry County. In 1938 they purchased the house on the corner of Fourth and Walnut Sts. in Newport. That year, just before the on-set of World War II, Bertha and her youngest daughter Mary Marguerite, by then a graduate of Smith College, returned briefly to Germany. They retrieved many of their furnishings, artwork, a priceless grand piano, and other treasures and shipped them back to the United States to fill the new house.  After working briefly for Armstrong Cork and Tile, Mary returned home to Newport to look after her family. Clair Landis died in 1942. Bertha died in 1970.

Mary was a lover of books and an avid supporter of the Perry County Council of the Arts from its inception. When she died in 2004, she bequeathed her home to the Arts Council to become a museum, a venue for exhibits, recitals, and classes, and PCCA offices. Also included in the bequest were many of the furnishings and artwork from the original Hamburg house, including a painting by the renowned French realist painter Gustav Courbet and a priceless Bechstein grand piano. In 2007, the Board of PCCA took possession of Landis House, by now a stately old mansion in need of significant refurbishing, to become a Community Art Center. During the first phase of reconstruction, the garage was transformed into a current office and a future art classroom.  A foyer was built to provide a common entryway to the two buildings.

Remodeling the main house has continued at a slower pace, aided by a grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development, but often with significant volunteer labor. 

In September 2009, Landis House opened to the public with its first exhibit, Central Pennsylvania Self-Portraits, thirty-three artists from seven counties revealed how they saw themselves. This exhibit established the character of offerings at Landis House, our Creative Commons; it was challenging, it held regional appeal, and it included both established artists and those who were just emerging. Our intention is to honor the act of creativity and those who are compelled to make Art in its many forms.

Please join us – as an artist, as a participant, and as a volunteer who helps to make these dynamic experiences possible for others in our region.