Fine Arts

In 2018, the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership began working with the White Pine Community Choir Association (Choir) to restore a historic downtown centerpiece of Ely, Nevada.

Completed in 1927, the Ely LDS Stake Tabernacle is on the National Register of Historic Places. The impressive structure, now owned by the Choir, is in need of significant repairs and updates such as accessibility and seismic stabilization. 

Until recently, there was limited leadership and no options for raising funds and galvanizing support to save the Tabernacle (now known as the Centennial Fine Arts Center). This changed when the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership secured grant funding and organized a community “charrette” with the Partners for Sacred Places. Robust participation in the charrette showed how much the community cared about the historic building and motivated the Choir to address its own deficiencies. 

Since then, the Choir has reorganized, obtained its federal 501(c)3 status, achieved financial stability, and secured several grants to begin work on the building. Funded through local grants and private donations, a 200-page architectural and engineering assessment was recently completed and details the steps necessary for saving the structure to realize its full potential as a performing arts and community gathering venue integral to the revitalization of Ely’s historic downtown. 

Heritage Area staff continue to give technical support to the Choir as it pursues major grant funding through the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office and various private and corporate foundations.

Learn more about the history of the Centennial Fine Arts Center.