HAZLETON -- Culture is coming to downtown Hazleton. A group wants to transform an old bank into a haven for artists.
The former Security Savings Bank is a piece of history that many have overlooked on East Broad Street in Hazleton.
But one group has some big plans now that it has bought this 107-year-old building from Luzerne County.
"It will be a key feature to a new arts and cultural district downtown."
The Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress was the only one to enter a bid -- $25,000 -- for that old bank.
Workers say it will likely take years to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to fix it up.
Krista Schneider shared some pictures of the group's plan to transform the historic bank building into a facility called the "City Arts Center."
Renderings show outdoor and indoor spaces that would create a new use and save the old bank vault.
Officials at the Hazleton Art League a few blocks away say they've run out of room for their classes and they'd like to move into the bank when its ready.
"They also host music, musical performances, art exhibits. That's the type of activity that we want to bring to the downtown," said Krista Schneider, Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress.
Schneider says an arts center is an important part of the plan to bring culture and crowds to downtown Hazleton.
Now they're raising money and looking for grants to bring this bank back to life.