City OK’s Arts Council bid for downtown Cultural District

Rock Hill City Council has signed off on a plan to allow the Arts Council of York County to move forward with a request to designate several square city blocks a state culture district.

Under a bill signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley in 2014, the South Carolina Arts Commission now has the authority to establish state designated culture districts.

If approved, the Rock Hill district would be the first in the state, said Debra Heintz, executive director of the Arts Council of York County.

“Just the idea of having a cultural district in our city if very prestigious,” Heintz said. “I think it would only enhance what we’re already in the process of doing.”

Rock Hill’s application for the district names 13 performance venues, museums and arts centers spanning from East White to East Black Streets and Elizabeth Lane to Dave Lyle Blvd.

If approved, signage for the district would be a great addition, Heintz said, provided there is a way to pay for it.

“I think it would be an advantage to have signage,” she said. “It will be an advantage for grant applicants when they come available.”