HARRODSBURG, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A building that has been part of Harrodsburg's story for nearly two centuries is starting a brand-new chapter.
The Benjamin Passmore House and Hotel, built in 1843, later became home to the Harrodsburg Herald. Now, it's Precision Dance.
After months of renovation by owner and founder Hilary Arcuri and her husband, empty offices have become dance studios and old workspaces have been turned into places where kids can leap, tumble and twirl.
"And it's been sitting empty for about a year, and I saw that it was available for rent, and I came in and I just had a vision. I was like, this is where I wanna be," Arcuri said.
For Arcuri, dance has always been a part of her life.
"I've always danced since I was little and then when I was in high school, I started teaching a little bit at my studio. And my husband was in the Air Force, so we actually lived in Tucson, Arizona for about five years and while we were there, I ran a dance program for military kids on base," Arcuri said.
She moved into the new space in Mercer County just two years after Precision Dance opened inside the Harrodsburg Community Center.
"Let's just start it one night a week and see what happens. And then it kind of blew up," Arcuri said. "I think my first week, I already had 40 kids enrolled and my last, like after being open for two years, we hit 180."
Families are even driving in from surrounding counties.
"We wanna get kids off tablets. We wanna get kids like moving and being active but also exposing them to art and to movement," Arcuri said.
With four dance and tumbling rooms and nearly 70 classes, the historic building is proving that sometimes the best way to preserve the past is to fill it with the sound of the future.
"I really want every kid to have access if they want to be a ballerina," Arcuri said.
Molly Demrow is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Molly at molly.demrow@wlex.tv.
