State Senator Pam Helming cuts the ribbon at the Dove Block. Photo by Neil Sjoblom
The Dove Block Project, a community arts center in downtown Geneva held a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday to dedicate a new plaque honoring The Dove Block building and to kick off the organization’s first annual fundraising campaign.
The plaque commemorates the historic Dove Block. The building was home to a range of uses including a tavern, concert and boxing venue, and roller skating rink. In the 1930s, the third floor was the home studio of the renowned American modernist artist Arthur Dove.
In the 1940s, the Dove Block became a dormitory for workers building the Sampson Naval Training Station where more than 400,000 recruits were trained before serving in World War Two.
The fundraising campaign that kicked off yesterday has a goal of raising $10,000 to help pay for community arts programming and help cover the expenses of leasing and operating the first floor of the historic building.
