Art District Receives $300,000 Grant for Face Lift

An emerging art district downtown has received a $300,000 grant to spiff up the facades on some of the buildings.

The East Village, a district created four years ago to entice artists to set up shop, has seen a flurry of antique and furniture stores open recently on 1st Street and Broadway. The grant is expected to enhance awareness of the district.

“This really creates the beginning of a new core to this area,” said Phill Appleby, chairman of the East Village Steering Committee.

The Community Development Block Grant, approved by the City Council last week, will improve storefronts on the south side of 1st Street between Linden and Elm avenues.