04/29/2026
The City of Rock Hill has sold the Tom S. Gettys Center for $650,000 to Collected hospitality group. Pending a 150 day inspection period, the buyer intends to open an upscale restaurant in the building. The sale was approved by city council in a Special Session on April 27th, outside of their regular public meeting schedule.
At this time, it is not known when if the buyer intends to retain some artist spaces in parts of the building, but that is a rumored possibility.
The “Keep Rock Hill Creative” initiative was named by local artists & art-lovers in response to city leaders’ decision to sell the building. However, the spirit of this cause has *always* existed, and it will continue to exist indefinitely. For over a year now, I (Dylan Bannister, Rock hill artist & current Gettys Center studio tenant) have been saying that this isn’t solely about the loss of one building. Rather, it’s an initiative to preserve and nurture Rock Hill’s arts and cultural community. And now is the time to prove it:
If you’re reading this, it means you care to some degree. I encourage you to take a few very simple actions that will have an incredible impact within our city’s cultural wellbeing:
1. Make yourself aware of the creative resources offered by local artists and organizations like
2. Attend creative events like art shows, concerts, theater performances, and more
3. Where you’re able, contribute financially. Buy local art for yourself or as gifts or make a donation to an arts organization.
4. Spread the word. Advocate. Tell your friends about that cool art thing you attended and bring them with you next time!
As a parting thought, keep in mind that the Gettys Center isn’t going away right now. While we don’t currently know how much time we have, we will continue to host creative experiences for this community to experience - such as THIS FRIDAY 5/1! The building’s artists hope you’ll come out and connect with your creative community at this and more upcoming events!
