History of the Deines Cultural Center
The Building
The south side of the building at 820 North Main, now the Deines Cultural Center, was originally the W.M. Pennel Furniture Store in 1878. The north side was the Lechner & Wallace Furniture & Funeral Home from 1907-1912. The south side became the Scholes Jewelry Co. in 1913, while the north side became The G. J. Deines Furniture & Funeral Home in 1912 and continued as such until 1930. Holzer Grocery occupied the south side from 1936-1949, while the north side became the Deines Brothers Funeral Home from 1930 to 1934, operating alongside the Deines Brothers Furniture Store which stayed in the space from 1930 to 1984, expanding into the south side, building onto the back and the upstairs, and was a successful family business and local institution for many years.
A Dream
The Deines Cultural Center at 820 N. Main is the culmination of a dream for the Deines family. In 1989, J. Luther Deines presented an offer to the city of Russell consisting of the artwork collection of his brother, E. Hubert Deines; the former Deines Brothers Furniture Store building to house the collection; and a cash gift of $259,620 to renovate the building into a cultural arts center.
1990—Opens to the Public
After careful consideration, the City of Russell accepted his offer, and work was begun in early 1990. The first floor of the Center was completed and opened to the public in October 1990. The basement has since been finished as an Art Education Center with a grant from the Kansas Arts Commission. The entire center consists of 17,000 square feet and plans include completing the upstairs as additional gallery space and a meeting area for public functions.
Deines Today
The permanent art collection of the Deines Cultural Center includes all of the wood engravings done by E. Hubert Deines (1894-1967) and various works he collected during his lifetime. His work is shown on a rotating basis at the Center.
In addition to the E. Hubert Deines display, the Deines Cultural Center features regional artist’s work and traveling art exhibits regularly. Other cultural activities such as recitals, readings, and art classes are conducted at the Center as well.
The south side of the building at 820 North Main, now the Deines Cultural Center, was originally the W.M. Pennel Furniture Store in 1878. The north side was the Lechner & Wallace Furniture & Funeral Home from 1907-1912. The south side became the Scholes Jewelry Co. in 1913, while the north side became The G. J. Deines Furniture & Funeral Home in 1912 and continued as such until 1930. Holzer Grocery occupied the south side from 1936-1949, while the north side became the Deines Brothers Funeral Home from 1930 to 1934, operating alongside the Deines Brothers Furniture Store which stayed in the space from 1930 to 1984, expanding into the south side, building onto the back and the upstairs, and was a successful family business and local institution for many years.
A Dream
The Deines Cultural Center at 820 N. Main is the culmination of a dream for the Deines family. In 1989, J. Luther Deines presented an offer to the city of Russell consisting of the artwork collection of his brother, E. Hubert Deines; the former Deines Brothers Furniture Store building to house the collection; and a cash gift of $259,620 to renovate the building into a cultural arts center.
1990—Opens to the Public
After careful consideration, the City of Russell accepted his offer, and work was begun in early 1990. The first floor of the Center was completed and opened to the public in October 1990. The basement has since been finished as an Art Education Center with a grant from the Kansas Arts Commission. The entire center consists of 17,000 square feet and plans include completing the upstairs as additional gallery space and a meeting area for public functions.
Deines Today
The permanent art collection of the Deines Cultural Center includes all of the wood engravings done by E. Hubert Deines (1894-1967) and various works he collected during his lifetime. His work is shown on a rotating basis at the Center.
In addition to the E. Hubert Deines display, the Deines Cultural Center features regional artist’s work and traveling art exhibits regularly. Other cultural activities such as recitals, readings, and art classes are conducted at the Center as well.