1923
The Carpenter Family Legacy
Built in 1923, this masterpiece of English Tudor and Elizabethan architecture served as the personal sanctuary for Arthur and Grace Carpenter. Over time, the property at 308 W Bloomfield Street transformed into a community hub for art, culture, and acceptance.
Grace famously gave the architect a simple directive, “I want a house that Jane Austen would have wanted to live in.”
The result: a breath-taking display of “imperfect-perfection.” Every exterior brick was a “reject,” chosen specifically to create a rich and unique texture. The chimneys are purposefully crooked, the windows are leaded diamond-paned, and the slate roof weighs more than 70 tons.
The Carpenters hired world-famous art collector Joseph Duveen to furnish the interior. He spent the summer of 1923 bringing priceless 17th-century chairs, court cupboards, and fine paintings into the home.
The library was the family’s favorite spot to host, a role it continues to play today as one of the four public art galleries in the home.
1967
The Rome Art and Community Center
Following the death of Grace Carpenter in 1966, the City of Rome purchased the family’s historic estate. The following year, it opened to the public as the Rome Art and Community Center (RACC), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the "living canvas” of the home by striving to make the arts and art education available and accessible to all. This commitment to opportunity and accessibility helped the RACC thrive for the last six decades as Rome’s only premier multi-arts hub for all ages and abilities.
The RACC has solidified it’s place as a safe and welcoming destination for children to engage with arts and culture. Through summer camps, day programs, and a pre-k academy—opportunities are endless for children to imagine, explore, and connect with the world around them.
For adults, the RACC offers hands-on classes including painting and pottery. Musical performances spanning genres and generations frequent the first floor and lawn. The RACC also features four gallery spaces for public and private art displays.
2026
The Carpenter Center
After 60 years as the Rome Art and Community Center, our rebranding to The Carpenter Center represents a beautiful, deliberate bridging of past and present, returning Arthur and Grace's name to the estate they so lovingly shared. Our commitment to making the arts and art education available and accessible to all remains as strong as ever. We are poised to expand our award-winning children’s programming, offer more opportunities for local artists to create and showcase their work, and preserve the history and heritage of the Carpenter family for generations to come.
