Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center

We are Loudoun's 'Farm Market' for locally grown performing and visual art!

The Franklin Park Arts Center is a dream come true for Loudoun Artists and patrons. Its concept, construction and ultimate realization is a story ten years in the making, requiring the dedicated efforts of community leaders, thousands of volunteers and ultimately requiring the approval of Loudoun County voters.

It started with an idea….

In January 1997, a local theater group received permission to raise the funds necessary to convert a 19th century dairy barn located on the Franklin farm property, newly purchased by Loudoun County to become Franklin Park, into a space to hold theatrical rehearsals and productions. Just as the fundraising effort is about to begin, the barn burns to the ground- the result of local boys playing with matches inside the barn. After the fire is extinguished the only recognizable traces of the barn are its silo and a length of stone foundation wall.

The Dream was born…

Undeterred by the devastating fire, in August 1997, a group of artists and community leaders extend their vision and organize themselves into The Barns at Franklin Park, Incorporated with the dream of building Loudoun’s first dedicated performing and visual arts center on the site of the destroyed barn. To help jump-start the community effort a Design Charette’ process begins; arts organizations throughout Loudoun County provide input on the proposed Arts Center. Original start-up funds also include the use the insurance money from the destroyed barn, approved for use by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

And so it begins…

On Labor Day Weekend in September, 1998, The Timber Framers Guild of North America, managed by the Blue Ridge Timberwrights and thousands of volunteers raised the new barn frame in Franklin Park. The timbers came from around the country; some were recycled from dismantled bridges, the longest timbers were found in the St. Lawrence Seaway- recycled from their original use as ‘bumpers’ for logging runs decades earlier.

Over the next 6 years the project continued to grow- a solar array was added to the scope of the project, the Arts Center project was under roof with basic flooring and partitions roughed-in and the County of Loudoun approved and hired staff for the facility under the Parks Division of Loudoun County’s Department of Parks Recreation and Community Services. The staff temporarily moved into the old Round Hill Elementary School and began programming.

So Close….

On November 2, 2004, after years of effort, volunteer time, donations and county government support the Loudoun County voters approved a $1.4 million bond to provide the funds necessary to open the Arts Center. After two rounds of bidding, construction began again in late 2006.

On February 2, 2008, after more than 10 years of dedicated effort, The Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center opened its doors to the public with a Celebration of the Arts.Come see for yourself!