North Wales Mayor Neil McDevitt, center holding scissors, and county commissioners Chairman Neil Makhija cut the ribbon to mark the grand opening of the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025. Photo by Dan Sokil | The Reporter.
Newly renovated church, office building welcomes local VIPs
A day nearly a decade in the making turned out to be well worth the wait.
Montgomery County Commissioners joined North Wales Borough officials Monday in formally cutting the ribbon of the long-awaited North Wales Arts and Cultural Center.
“I’m excited to see all of the art that takes place here, all the things that are shared in North Wales. This is a vibrant, diverse community here in Montgomery County, and there are so many wonderful things happening,” said commissioners Chairman Neil Makhija.
Located at 125 North Main Street, the borough-owned church dates back to the early 20th century, and the adjacent office building to the 1970s; both were the subject of lengthy talks throughout the late 2010s, two grants awarded by the county in 2022, and a $2.7 million renovation contract awarded in summer 2023. Over the two-plus years since, council has continued talks on how to lease, rent and operate both buildings, and heard monthly updates on the renovation work, leading to a soft opening on May 15 when the Partnership for Transportation, formerly the Partnership TMA of Montgomery County, held the first event there.
Borough Mayor Neil McDevitt kicked off the ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday by outlining the history of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, telling how the congregation started worshipping in the 1770s, sharing a space with St. Peter’s Lutheran Church a few blocks away on Main, until the current building opened in 1909 with the distinctive Main Street façade, stained glass windows, and the hardwood floors and hand-carved beams revealed during the renovations after the church held their final services in April 2022.
“North Wales Borough and its residents have a community space we can all be proud of,” he said.
State Sen.Tracy Pennycuick sent a proclamation read by her staff recognizing the milestone: “Together we celebrate the opening of the new facility at 125 North Main Street, and look forward to the positive impacts it will have on the residents of North Wales and the surrounding communities,” she said.
McDevitt added thanks to state Rep. Liz Hanbidge, who was “critical” to securing the grant funding, before thanking the commissioners for the $1.2 million in grant funding, then handing over the podium for their comments. Makhija outlined how the county’s budget typically funds infrastructure projects like roads and bridges, plus administrative and operational needs, but makes sure to find funding for projects like this.
“The importance of arts and culture in our communities is something that we can’t overstate,” he said, before citing the economic impact of arts and cultural facilities in the state and county.
“You see property values rise. You see walkable main streets. You see businesses that grow around arts and cultural institutions. And these are all things that we see when we decide to make investments, and make really hard decisions about the county budget,” he said.
“We know that art can be a tool for change. It’s also a source of comfort. It’s what we enjoy when we’re not at work. It’s what people seek, consume and create at the end of along day. When we want to take a break and socialize, we don’t gather around spreadsheets, we don’t run pivot tables and bar graphs — unless that is your thing. If it is I’m not judging you, but you might need this arts and culture center more than the rest of us,” Makhija said.
Studies show that arts and culture make residents happier, improves health, and increases life expectancy, while also increasing downtown traffic and helping local businesses, he added – before dropping a reference to a recent Emmy win for a film Makhija helped make about voting rights, and how it told the stories of local poll workers.
“You don’t have to win an Emmy, but for those of you who want to tell stories, and share them, it’s really just about being in the community, understanding the importance of the work that we’re doing, and finding new ways of expressing and sharing them,” he said.
North Wales council President Sal Amato, at podium, leads around of applause for residents who helped develop a borough comprehensive plan calling for the creation of the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025.
North Wales borough Manager Christine Hart, Mayor Neil McDevitt, council President Sal Amato, and county commissioners Jamila Winder, Neil Makhija and Tom DiBello present a check representing $1.24 million in county grant funds for the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025.
An energy-efficient LED light reflects off of a painting of the former St. Luke’s church now on display in the lobby of the newly renovated North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025.
North Wales Mayor Neil McDevitt, at podium, speaks to county and local officials on hand for the grand opening of the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025.
Jacqui Baxter-Rollins, Executive Director of the Partnership for Transportation, speaks to visitors to that nonprofit’s office space during the grand opening of the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025.The original $1.2 million awarded in 2022 received a new addition on Monday: Makhija formally announced an additional $43,000 grant from the county’s “Montco 2040” grant program, that will go to security upgrades and increased accessibility for the building.
“That was really important to all of us, to make sure that the arts can be reached by everyone,” he said.
Commissioner Jamila Winder said she recalled frequent trips growing up, passing through North Wales from her childhood home in East Norriton to the Montgomery Mall, and “I know there’s a tight knit community here, which makes this something very special. With this newly renovated ACC, North Wales borough becomes a pocket sized masterpiece,” she said.
Her arts experience almost took the form of songs for the nearly-full house: “I feel like I should break out in song, or play my viola,” she said, drawing laughs from the crowd, before recalling how her mom spurred her to take piano and then viola lessons while growing up, and she still draws wisdom from those lessons.
“In a small town like North Wales, centers like this are especially priceless. Young kids can discover rhythm, or self expression for the first time. Neighbors can bond over stories and performances. Seniors can discover a new passion, or a new artistic identity. People of all ages, income and talent can create something, or simply enjoy creativity with friends,” she said.
“Spaces like this are absolutely priceless, just like the best works of art and culture,” Winder said. “Places like this are true equalizers in our neighborhoods. They create a common ground where people can come to experience something new, learn a skill, or even just have a good time with others, where your background, age or circumstances do not matter. We need more of these spaces,” Winder said.
The pandemic that began in 2020 deepened inequities, increased loneliness and isolation, and decimated communal spaces, she said, thus the county’s use of pandemic recovery funds for the facility that’s meant to help bring the community together.
“Investing in this center is a conscious step to healing the social and cultural wounds left behind from a global pandemic, as well as set the stage for a creative future that this whole community can share together,” she said.
Montgomery County commissioners Chairman Neil Makhija takes the podium with fellow commissioners Jamila Winder and Tom DiBello during the grand opening of the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, June 30, 2025And commissioner Tom DiBello kicked off by joking “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna sing,” before and calling the building “just amazing,” then outlining his prior service as a football coach, and a school board member who had to make tough budget decisions.
“A lot of school districts through Pennsylvania had to make some really tough decisions, and school districts were cutting arts programs. They were doing away with their band, or music, or art rooms, or whatever, to cut back on expenses. I remember sitting there, and I said ‘I refuse to cut the arts.’ I said, I’ll cut the football program before I cut the arts, because arts provides so much for kids, no matter what direction they go,” he said.
“It’s such an important aspect of their overall development, their way to express themselves, their way to be able to participate in what they find interesting. That’s what’s important. I’m glad that I’m still able to be out here supporting arts — it’s an honor to be able to provide funding, so we can continue to see the arts grow,” DiBello said. “I can’t draw, and I can’t sing, and I never really played an instrument, but that’s OK — we all find our path in life.”
Council President Sal Amato thanked the county officials for their support, then took the assembled crowd back in time, to late 2016 when council first began talks on acquiring the building, then through the next decade as a town comprehensive plan was developed spelling out the goal.
“When this was presented to us, about purchasing this church, I think everybody on council’s jaws dropped. It was a shock to us, how would we be able to do that? We were all somewhat confused about it. It took many months of debate and discussion, before we decided to put it into our budget for 2017,” he said.
“We didn’t know quite what we were going to do with this building, I think we had some thoughts about it, but what we did know was we didn’t want to lose this building. This building is of historic significance, it’s a beautiful building, we wanted to do something with it,” Amato said.
A newly engraved and unveiled logo now decorates the main rostrum of the North Wales Arts and Cultural Center, as seen during the ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, June 30, 2025.The 2018 comprehensive plan gathered feedback from residents for roughly two years, and among those goals were creating unique destinations, holding fun and inclusive events, developing recreational amenities, while preserving historic buildings and architecture, encouraging fun and diverse events, and supporting the town’s businesses.
“This is the realization of those kinds of ideas. This is the kind of building, the kind of event, the kind of concrete realization of an idea that was raised by our very residents, who rely on us to fulfill those visions and dreams,” he said.
“In these pews were people in the 1900s, who were sitting here together as a community, for fellowship with each other, for helping each other, for a family within this borough. All sitting in those seats you are sitting in now,” Amato said.
The performing space and adjacent banquet hall could be used for musical performances, lectures, art classes, banquets, offices, or much more, he said, before thanking borough Manager Christine Hart, outgoing assistant manager Alex Turock, and former assistant manager Alan Guzzardo for their help in planning and overseeing the project.
“This is not a showcase for the borough manager, or elected officials. It’s for the residents to be proud of, and to use, and bring them joy, and building a sense of community and pride. That’s who this building is for,” he said.
And Hart closed the festivities by inviting visitors to tour the nearby banquet hall and ground floor office space, before thanking the project’s architect, contractors, and engineers who performed the work, plus the town staff and council who helped out wherever needed.
“We are so looking forward to filling these walls with laughter, with memories, arts — there’s no lines when you walk through here, we’re one, and that’s the most important thing,” Hart said.
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