About
History
Established by the City of Hollywood in 1975 as part of its Parks and Recreation Department, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood was incorporated in August 1978 as a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation. From its small, beachfront gallery, which was dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 2, 1975, the Art and Culture Center found its niche in South Florida’s art scene by promoting contemporary, innovative artists and programs.
In 1991, the Art and Culture Center moved to the city-owned, historic (circa 1924) Kagey mansion in downtown Hollywood at 1650 Harrison St. The move allowed immediate expansion in display space, and also added classrooms for youth and adult arts education. After renovations, the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood’s new home opened to the public on Feb. 2, 1992.
Also in the early ’90s, the Art and Culture Center opened its Arts School, which is located in an adjacent building at 1626 Harrison St.
The Center redefined its mission in 1997 to offer performing arts on par with its visual arts programs. To that end, in 1999 the Art and Culture Center launched its free OceanDance event, which takes place annually on Hollywood Beach, and has featured such notable performers as Mikhail Baryshnikov and his White Oak Dance Project. In 2000, it took over the programming and management of the city’s Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center, a 500-seat theater located at 1770 Monroe St.
Designated a Major Cultural Institution in Broward County on Oct. 6, 2005 by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council, the Center today is only one of six Major Cultural Institutions in the county out of more than 550 cultural non-profits.
Annually, the Art and Culture Center provides programming which impacts more than 50,000 South Florida residents and visitors. Its adult and children’s visual and performing arts education programs celebrate creativity and excellence, while its innovative and unique exhibitions, films and performances introduce fresh perspective to the arts.
The Art and Culture Center’s educational programming includes adult and children’s arts classes, after-school and outreach programs, camps, and other art curricula that meet Sunshine State Standards.
Committed to creating opportunities for all people to experience the visual and performing arts, the Center offers complimentary admission to its galleries on the third Sunday of most months (check schedule).
In partnership with the Broward Education Communications Network, the Center offers distance learning visual and performing arts classes for all Broward County students. The Center also provides music/drama/theater and visual arts programming for area schools.
For more information on the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, please call (954) 921-3274.
History of Art and Culture Center Building
This beautiful example of Mediterranean Revival architecture was built in the summer of 1924 for an estimated cost of $35,000. It is one of Hollywood’s first show place homes for founding family Mr. and Mrs. Jack M. Kagey. Kagey was the sales manager of Joseph W. Young’s Hollywood Land and Water Company.
The architect was Jack Davidor and this was the second home built in Hollywood. It shares many features with JW Young’s house on Hollywood Boulevard (namely the tiles in the fountain in the main gallery which were reproductions of original Spanish tiles from southern Spain). The home offers a central tower, hip roof with Spanish clay tiles, second floor balcony with Norman double arches, a balconet and rough stucco wall finish. The main gallery was the garden (hence the fountain), the Executive Director’s office was the master bedroom and the library was the living room (you can still see the original fireplace). It remained a private home until 1961 when L.B. Johnson Funeral Home purchased the property and built a $150,000 addition in 1962. (The part of the Center that eventually became the main gallery was built as the chapel for the funeral home.) By 1964, the business was called Johnson-Foster Funeral Home.
The funeral home closed in the 1980s and in January 1990, it was purchased by the city of Hollywood to become the new home of the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood (ACCH), which was originally located on Hollywood beach. The home was renovated with private and historical state grant monies and opened as the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood in February 1992.
In the summer 2008, a restoration took place where all the original wood floors of the home were refinished and restored. In addition, the entire interior facility was painted (ceiling and walls) as well as replacing the carpeted areas.
It is currently designated by the State of Florida as a significant historical structure and is forever to be held for public enjoyment by city government.
Updated: 10/12/09
