YORK, PA — The Rudy Art Glass Building was bought recently by Grotto Community Benefit, LLC, a new Public Benefit LLC based in York.
The building complex at 15-23 E. Philadelphia St., York, was formerly home to the family-owned and operated architectural and decorative glass fabricator, Rudy Art Glass, and prior to that was the longtime location of The York Dispatch. The building has been for sale since 2020.
The sale, managed by TRUE Commercial Real Estate broker Ben Chiaro, officially closed Nov. 15, 2022. Chiaro states, “I have been consulting with Steve Mitchell and Matt Mitchell (sellers) for nearly 10 years in preparation for their disposition of 15 East Philadelphia St., as it was becoming increasingly less conducive to efficiently operating their art glass business from this historic, multi-level manufacturing building. They felt that relocating would not only allow them to streamline their business, but also to allow one of downtown York’s highest-trafficked corners to be repositioned to be a significant contributor to increased density, foot traffic, and economic impact. The sale of the property to Grotto Community Benefit truly fulfills the seller’s desire to allow the building to be the next catalyst for growth in downtown York. It will be exciting to watch the Grotto team redevelop the building and continue to expand their footprint and contribution to the growth of York City and York County.”
It will become the site of The Grotto Commons (The Commons), an expansion of the mission of The Grotto Community Center (The Grotto). The Grotto will be the central tenant of The Commons with opportunities to partner on the additional available spaces in the complex.
Since it opened in 2019, The Grotto, a 501(c)(3), has found its home on the second floor of 2 West Market Street in the Rupp Building. It soon grew to also occupy the fourth floor. The Grotto is a unique coworking space that focuses on supporting artists and entrepreneurs, to ensure they develop connections, become part of the local ecosystem, and have access to affordable resources that help them grow.
Today, The Grotto has a waitlist for private office space and artist studios. The Grotto Board of Directors identified that it was time to grow but wanted to find a space that offered the flexibility of a profit-sharing rental model.
Working with Social Enterprise Group from Lancaster County, a Public Benefit LLC—called The Grotto Community Benefit, LLC—was formed to support The Grotto. Members of The Grotto Community Benefit, LLC are David Bradley, Alexa Born, Gregory Timmons, Chelsea Foster, and The Grotto, which remains a member as a 501(c)(3).
“York is the perfect place to start something new,” says Foster, who is co-founder and board president of The Grotto. “The Commons will provide the community with a supportive space for their endeavors to thrive.”
Phase 1 Construction on The Grotto’s 20,000 s/f of space at the Rudy Art Glass Building is expected to take about a year.
“It’s exciting that we can bring new life to a building that has been such a focal point of our community,” said David Bradley, who has several years of experience rehabilitating historic structures. “I want to see it become a space where interesting things happen.