Last updated: November 8th, 2011 @ 22:11:22

ArtsRevive has made an investment in downtown Selma with the purchase of the old Carneal Auto building on Water Avenue. A grand old building, the Carneal building has anchored the end of Water Avenue for many years. Plans are being made for the renovation which will give ArtsRevive needed office space and provide areas for art shows, art workshops and other community needs. We’re excited about this new project on the banks of the Alabama River and know that the Selma community and the surrounding areas will benefit from this new project. Keep an eye on our corner and watch our vision grow! Want to be a part of this vision? Go to the members section on our website!

Carneal Building: A work in progress
By Barrett Welch (Contact) | Selma Times-Journal
Published Wednesday, July 8, 2009

On the surface, the conversion of the Carneal Auto Service building into an arts center appears stalled.

Appearances can be deceiving.

A step inside shows a noticeable improvement with most of the trash left behind collected in garbage bags.

A separate pile of nuts, bolts, tools and equipment remain in the building. ArtsRevive members hope these leftovers will come in handy down the line.

“Tremendous progress has been made on cleanup of inside and of the courtyard,” said ArtsRevive member Fran Pearce. “We are getting a better vision of how to use the building on a regular basis instead of just for ArtsRevive events. We’re wanting it to be open more often than just our events so we can showcase the artists in our community on a regular basis.”

A courtyard is planned adjacent to the brick building. ArtsRevive members thought they could salvage a roof on the structure at the back of the site, but building inspectors determined the roof a safety hazard, so it has to come down..

The razing of the old roof won’t affect plans to turn the pothole-riddled concrete now on the site into a welcoming space or even the entire open space into an outdoor art center.

“We’re really excited about the courtyard,” said ArtsRevive Vice President Vicky Stoudenmire. “The view of the bridge is really beautiful and so is the view of Water Avenue. When people come across the bridge, we want [this area] easily recognizable as art.”

Artists who want to use those left over nuts and bolts from the cleanup will have to wait maybe as long as 12 months. Pearce and others hope the group’s March art show will feature the new digs, even with ongoing construction.

“We know it’s going to be a work in progress,” said Pearce. “We’re going to be getting in as soon as we can.”

Regardless of how long it may take, Stoudenmire said the benefits will be worth the wait for both artists and the community.

“[Selma’s architecture] is so aesthetically pleasing. It’s a great place for artists to be,” she said. “I think ArtsRevive has brought some things to the community that haven’t been here for a long time. There’s just been a lot of enrichment to community through projects AR has brought in. I think they want to continue to see these.

Becoming a town of action
Published Saturday, May 2, 2009

Selma is on the brink of moving up. The evidence of that is in the movement of various groups, including the city.

In the not-so-distant future, residents of the city will see the first phase of the riverfront park get under way. The initial phase will include construction of about 2,300 linear feet of a 10-foot wide concrete path, a 50-foot timber bridge and two overlooks adjacent to the Alabama River.

The members of ArtsRevive have begun already the clean-up of the Carneal Building on Water Avenue. Portions of the building will provide an outside space for concerts and outdoor shows. The building’s main room will be used as a multipurpose space with a commercial kitchen in the back, so people can rent it for functions. The room also will be used for workshops to bring other artists to Selma.

Other projects are expected to be announced in the near future.

Selma isn’t just sitting and waiting for something to happen. City officials, private individuals and non-profits are working all along to take this gem on the Alabama River and make her a shining diamond for tourists and residents.

Naysayers will always toss the negative toward any project. But the rest of us should join together and support these efforts to enhance the quality of life in our communities

Demolition begins on Carneal Auto building
By Caleb R. Johnson | Selma Times-Journal
Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Carneal Auto building is a shadow of it’s former self and rightfully so. Better look fast if you want to see the old dilapidated version.

“Things will move very fast on the removal of fallen building [Wednesday] beside The ArtsRevive Carneal Building,” said Fran Pearce, a member of ArtsRevive.

A demolition crew from Cooper Brothers Construction Company began work on the Carneal Auto building around 7 a.m. Wednesday. The crew demolished and cleaned up a partially collapsed section on the south side of the building. Calvin Ross sat perched on a yellow excavator, scooping piles of scrap and cleaning off the remaining concrete slab. By mid-afternoon, about 10 or 12 truckloads of trash had been hauled away.

“We’ve been doing just clean up mostly,” Ross said. “Everything else here’s going to try and be saved.”

ArtsRevive purchased the building to operate an Art Center, where artists representing all disciplines will be able to attend and conduct workshops and seminars; where local artists can acquire permanent, affordable studios in which to work; where the public will have the opportunity to enhance their appreciation of art. As this happens, Selma will have a sustainable arts community and tourism will increase.

But first the work.

Two workers, Glen Johnson and Andrew Muse, sawed a large post to temporarily brace the roof on the west side of the concrete slab.

“They been working hard all day,” Ross said of the two men hunched over the beam.

The crew will return to the site Thursday and finish cleaning up by that afternoon, Ross said