StoneGate Center Hours:
- Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Friday, 8:30 a.m.-noon; afternoons by appointment.
In July 2014, The City of Bedford engaged the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council Inc. to manage the former Indiana Limestone Co. facility at 405 I St., Bedford, when it acquired the building from Oakland City University.
The facility, which was listed on the National and Indiana Registers of Historic Places in 1993, was renamed StoneGate Arts & Education Center.
The City of Bedford provides annual funding to oversee and maintain the facility. The Executive Director, Assistant Executive Director and a Facility Manager supervise and care for the building.
StoneGate Arts & Education Center, Inc., was incorporated Oct. 16, 2015, and began managing the building Jan. 1, 2016.
StoneGate Center provides classrooms and office space to Ivy Tech Community College and Oakland City University, allowing local residents the opportunity to attend college classes in Lawrence County and obtain a college degree.
In January 2019, StoneGate Center changed locations, moving from 405 I St. to its new downtown location, the Girgis Building at 931 15th St. on the Lawrence County Courthouse square. The newly completed facility features 14 classrooms, a 125-seat performing arts auditorium, three large computer labs, a smaller lab and offices for college coordinators, a college assessment/instructors' workroom, study areas and gallery space.
Approximately 50 OCU students and 100 Ivy Tech students attend classes at StoneGate. Vincennes University will begin offering classes onsite in March 2019.
Fostering the Community, Education, Arts, Business
The Land of Limestone Exhibit, featuring more than 200 archival and architectural photographs, historical news accounts, official records and documents, is located on the first and third floors of the 405 I St. building.
In support of the City of Bedford’s focus on “building a better Bedford,” the city has made incubator spaces available for business people interested in launching new small business enterprises in the Lawrence County area.
Eight 4-H Limestone Robotics teams comprising young people ages K-12 meet in four different rooms at StoneGate Center. Limestone Robotics is an organization structured to support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education and robotics in Lawrence and surrounding counties.
SOAR! (Success and Opportunity At Reading) adult literacy has an office at StoneGate Downtown, and a number of volunteer tutors meet with students in StoneGate meeting rooms.
The American Red Cross Hoosier Hills Chapter is based in offices at the 405 I St. facility
The Northwest Assembly Hall meeting room at 405 I St. accommodates 60-80 people and is available at a nominal charge weekdays and occasionally on weekends for educational, non-profit, workforce development and governmental uses.
About StoneGate
StoneGate Arts & Education Center