Gallery of dreams
Hubnik opens inspiring space in the 1894 City Market
FFor any artist or dreamer, a room with a view offers inspiration.
And for the 1894 Gallery, new digs offer a pretty incomparable Texarkana view for both an artist and a dreamer. Georgia Hubnik just renamed and moved her Downtown Gallery, which was in the 200 block of East Broad Street, just a couple blocks into the 1894 City Market building at Olive and Front streets, now being renovated with love, vision and commitment by David Peavy.
Through elegant arched windows, the 1894 Gallery offers a street-level look at the gritty charms of downtown, a downtown that many are working to improve, a downtown that’s seen several successful renovation projects in recent years, from the Silvermoon on Broad to Pecan Point Gastropub & Brewery to loft housing and Hopkins Icehouse and more.
It looks like what’s happening at the 1894 City Market, formerly the Ritchie Grocery building, can be added to that mix of successes, too. Inside it’s gorgeous, spacious and charming, and Peavy is working to prepare apartments and lofts now that an art gallery is inside.
Hubnik’s gallery gives her a front row seat to its beauty. And with 20-foot high ceilings, there’s room for big, artistic dreams.
“It’s hard to put it to words,” Hubnik said about what the new space means to her and her gallery. “It’s really a dream come true. Three years ago I started it and couldn’t imagine that it would end up and be like this, and be surrounded by such beautiful art in this building.”
It’s quite simply awesome, Hubnik said.
Around her, art of all sorts stood at the ready to beckon the art lover’s eyes, art from local and regional artists and prints by a few of the greats. It’s an eclectic mix. When you step inside the gallery, it has the feel of something in a big city like Dallas, or perhaps an arts-rich town like Hot Springs, Ark.
When you move through the spacious 1896 Gallery, it appears the sky is the limit, literally, with art on high way up to the ceiling.
Artists like Glenn Knod, Eileen Stearman, Kathi Couch, Dean Lynn, Judy Wright Walter, Robert Collins, Joseph Raymond and the current featured artists, Bill and Gloria Garrison, have work there. Some of the art is expressive, lively, abstract and colorful, some of it exquisite representational landscapes. Woodworking and pottery can be found.
“They’re all just so excited,” Hubnik said about how her artists feel about this new space. “We’re getting new artists because once they see the building they want to be part of it … they come in and go, ‘Wow,’ too.”
Peavy added some art he had on hand in his collection, too, and a selection of signed and numbered prints are there. The space can be transformed into more of an event room than gallery by raising some of the art up higher, freeing space to hold a gathering.
Pulleys, though, can lower some of the paintings to create what Peavy calls a “hanging wall” or “invisible wall.” It creates a sense of layers of art through the gallery space, an interesting visual experience.
It’s really a dream come true. Three years ago I started it and couldn’t
imagine that it would end up and
be like this, and be surrounded by such beautiful art in
this building.”
—Georgia Hubnik
“The idea is we can use it for multi-purpose. We’re getting calls about weddings and bridal showers,” Peavy said. An art club meeting and heart awareness events were recently held there.
“We’ve got kind of an Art Deco feel to a lot of our light fixtures,” Peavy said, then pointing out the lighting possible inside the gallery, which can be directed to showcase paintings.
“There’s a big difference between just hanging one on the wall and being properly displayed,” Peavy said. As he talked, Peavy strode across the original floors of this downtown landmark, most of which is pine—“we had five-foot-diameter pine trees here that had never seen a saw before.”
“I like to tell people you don’t see any knots in it. You see all the scar places and the nail places. If you find a knot, that’s kind of special because when they built this building in 1894 they used the heart of the tree,” Peavy said.
It’s one of the small but essential details he notes with genuine, wide-eyed appreciation, tying the history of this building to the local timber barons who used to live in the Texarkana area decades ago. The arched windows, spanning from floor to ceiling, used to open up at the top. It was the ventilation system.
“They actually created drafts so it would draft the air and keep it comfortable in here,” Peavy said.
Now, Peavy is already moving on to the next phase of this grand dream he has for the 1894 City Market. Long-term plans include putting an old railroad car across the street on Front so it can be converted into a coffee shop. Peavy said he’s getting everything ready to apply for a Main Street loan of roughly $50,000. He has his eye on a State of Arkansas tourism loan, too.
But for now with gallery there, he’s set his sights on the 1894 City Market’s housing prospects.
“This is our first phase, and then we’ve got five apartments that will be ready in the next 30 to 45 days,” Peavy said. “We’ve got two rented, we’ve got prospects on the others.”
He’s working to finish them up and properly show them off. He calls them The Plaza. They face the Bi-State Justice Center. Upstairs, he’ll build lofts. Income from housing will generate further income for the entire project.
“Getting this operational makes the building come alive, the rebirth of the building, simply the resurrection or whatever word you want to use, comes alive because this is here,” Peavy said inside the gallery. It makes for a nice office, he quipped.
The building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places, and for many years served as a produce warehouse before the Ritchie Grocery Co. bought the building in 1926, according to a 2017 Gazette article. Because of its distinctive appearance, it’s also long served as a backdrop for photographers, marking occasions like prom or graduation.
“We’re really excited about this (gallery) being done. We are excited about those apartments being done simply because it will allow us to go to our next levels,”
Peavy said.
Meanwhile, Hubnik aims to maintain her 1894 Gallery as a place for artists and those who enjoy art. She has room to continue holding classes there and also feature the work of various artists.
“We very much want to be a part of the community,” Hubnik said, adding, “We’re just really excited to be part of downtown right now. David and I have talked about it: there are things that are happening and it’s really good.”