OLEAN, NY — Thanks to the generosity of two prominent Olean area attorneys, the African American Center for Cultural Development has a permanent home — and it’s located mere steps from Walkable Olean.
Ed Wagner and Jack Hart donated their former office, a beautiful Victorian home located at 214 N. Barry St., adjacent to the Cattaraugus County Campus of Jamestown Community College, to the center for its use as a museum and its headquarters.
“We have followed the development of the center over the last 10 years, and we were in a position to either sell the home or give it to a worthy organization,” Wagner said. “And Jack and I could think of no better use for our former offices than the African American Center.”
Hart agreed.
“The AACCD will be more than just a cultural and historical center for the community,” he said, “It will also have the potential to have a strong economic impact on Walkable Olean, thanks to the people it will draw, increasing foot traffic.”
Della Moore, co-founder of the center and its board president, was effusive in her gratitude for the contribution.
“What can I say about the generosity of Jack and Ed, except that we are eternally grateful to them,” she said. “We have sought a permanent home for years, and this, truly, is the answer to our prayers.
“Our mission now is to honor the generosity of Wagner and Hart — and of the community — and build a center that reflects the culture and experience of African-Americans and celebrates the diversity that brings us all together.”
The African American Center for Cultural Development is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a decade-long history of vivifying the contributions, culture and history of African-Americans locally, regionally and nationally.
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