About the quilt & barn
Address:
1025 Buffalo St., Conneaut
Directions:
From Interstate 90, take the Route 7, Conneaut, exit to town; follow Route 7 to Lake Road, Route 531. Turn left and travel one block to Buffalo Street, on the right. The quilt hangs on the back of the building, where the parking lot is.
Sponsors:
Penny Armeni, Conneaut Arts Center
Artist:
Chris Angerman
The quilt:
4×4 feet, Beach Glass. Kilipi Hall, located near the shore of Lake Erie, houses the Conneaut Arts Center. A short distance to the west is Conneaut Township Park, where many residents search the sand for beach glass. It is on this beach that the highly prized dark red glass is occasionally found; the glass is industrial waste from a former light bulb base manufacturing company.
The Building:
Kilpi Hall was built by Finnish immigrants who lived in neighborhoods near Conneaut Harbor at the turn of the 20th century. The Finns envisioned a meeting place where they could preserve and celebrate their Finnish heritage while promoting unity, health and recreation among the immigrant population. Construction began in 1897; it was completed two years later.
Kilpi Hall hosted music and theater events, lectures, church services and Sunday picnics. They had athletic and gymnastics teams that competed against other halls. The original Kilipi Hall featured a library with a reading room and cupola at the very top.
Kilpi means “shield” in Finnish; naming halls after elements of strength was the standard practice. Kilpi Hall housed the longest-chartered Temperance Society in America. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contact information:
For more information on the Conneaut Arts Center, visit the website or call 440-593-5888. Email.