Constructed
in 1839, seven years after the town was incorporated, our building
served as New Hope's first town hall, school, and jail. Of note
is the glass in the large arch window facing Main Street. It
is square and only rounded at the top, a very unique architectural
feature.
In the early
part of the twentieth century, the area's bucolic landscapes
attracted a group of artists including William Lathrop, Daniel
Garber, and Edward Redfield - jointly known as the New Hope School
of Impressionists.
In the mid-twentieth
century a second group of painters including William Ney, Lee
Gatch, and Elsie Driggs, took a different approach to art, using
a nonobjective and abstract style. It was the latter group, known
as the New School, that held its first public showing in the
Center.
Today, the
New Hope Visitors Center offers information on lodging and dining
facilities, shopping, entertainment, attractions, and upcoming
events in the Greater New Hope area.