CORNELIUS, N.C. — Downtown Cornelius looked very differently when Case Warnemunde decided to open Old Town Public House five years ago.
What You Need to Know
In 2013, the Town of Cornelius began talking about creating an arts and cultural venue for the community
The town then voted to allocate $4 million out of a $20 million municipal bond to create an arts district
In 2017, the town purchased 1.85 acres in downtown Cornelius for the arts center
In May 2021, the town officially broke ground on the new arts center
“Before there wasn’t a whole lot going on here in the downtown, but we knew that Cornelius was up and coming, and this was the spot we wanted to put our bottle shop and tap room,” he said.
The growth Warnemunde anticipated slowly became a reality, opening the door for him to expand his neighborhood pub and start offering coffee and live music.
“For us coffee’s not the point,” Warnemunde said. “Beer and wine is not the point, entertainment’s not the point. It’s just what brings people together.”
Now, downtown Cornelius is set to take another leap that Warnemunde is happy about.
“It’s exciting that it’s finally here,” he said. “The dust is in the air. They are moving dirt, and we’re going to have an art center before you know it.”
The Town of Cornelius had a vision for an arts and cultural center back in 2013.
Officials voted to pass a bond that would help make this all happen.
A few years later, Justin Dionne dropped his graduate program in Florida to come and help run the Cain Center for the Arts.
“You know, it just felt like there was this string tugging on an opportunity to come back to my home state, North Carolina, and really come to an area that has such opportunity to make an impact,” Dionne said.
This $25 million center will not only expand the arts scene throughout the Lake Norman region, but push more growth into downtown Cornelius.
It’s something Warnemunde says he’s ready for.
“I’d love to see walkability,” he said. “Love to see certainly some more retail, some more restaurants coming in here to town and with the Cain Center as an anchor, most certainly it’s on its way.”
While Dionne works to continue raising money for this much needed center, the downtown Warnemunde is familiar with will soon start to change, and that’s something he wants and is happily anticipating.
“I think everybody’s excited, and from what I hear there’s going to be a place for everybody,” he said.
Construction for the Cain Center is anticipated to be completed by fall of 2022 with a grand opening in December.
Dionne said they are still raising money for the center. If you are interested in making a donation, you can find more information here.