The Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester has received the 2017 Public Impact Award from Preservation Pennsylvania, according to a report in the Daily Local News.

Uptown! received the award for its innovative and progressive attitude, as well as for its excellent quality and service.

“It has been nothing short of amazing to watch this group of talented citizens identify the need for a home for the arts and work together over the last few years to make it a reality,” said State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, who presented the award.

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Uptown! began seven years ago when four friends discussed their desire for a theater in downtown West Chester. The idea quickly became a newly formed and fully functioning board that focused on the National Guard Armory building as the theater’s future home.

It officially opened on Dec. 31, 2016 with a New Year’s Eve Gala for 500 people.

Today, the theater is up and running and doing “really, really well,” according to Angela Scully, the executive director of Uptown! Entertainment Alliance. It has already sold 15,000 tickets in less than a year, proving its popularity in the community.

Read more about the award in the Daily Local News here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Uptown! here.

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