Deines Cultural Center

The Building

The south side of the building at 820 North Main, now the Deines Cultural Center, was originally the W.M. Pennel Furniture Store in 1878. The north side was he Lechner & Wallace Furniture & Funeral Home from 1907-1912. The south side became the Scholes Jewelry Co. in 1913, while the north side became the G.J. Deines Furniture & Funeral Home in 1912 and continued as such until 1930. Holzer Grocery occupied the south side from 1936 - 1949, while the north side became the Deines Brothers Funeral Home from 1930-1934, operating alongside the Deines Brothers Furniture Store which stayed in the space from 1930 to 1984, expanding into the southside, building onto the back and the upstairs, and was a successful family business and local institution for many years. 

A Dream

The Deines Cultural Center at 820 N Main is the culmination of a dream for the Deines family. In 1989, J. Luther Deines presented an offer to the city of Russell consisitng of the artwork collection of his brother, E. Hubert Deines; the former Deines Brothers Furniture Store building to house the collection; and a cash gift of $259,620 to renovate the building into a cultural arts center. 

1990 - Opens to the Public

After careful consideration, the City of Russell accepted his offer and work began in early 1990. The first floor of the Center was comleted and opened to the public in October 1990. The basement has since been finished as an Art Education Center with a grant from teh Kansas Arts Commission. The entire center consists of 17,000 square feet of exhibition and event space. 

Deines Today

The permanent art collection of the Deines Cultural Center includes all of the wood engravings done by E. Hubert Deines (1894-1967) as well as various works he collected during his lifetime. His own work is shown on a rotating basis at the Center. 

In addition to the E. Hubert Deines display, the Deines Cultural Center features regional artist's work and traveling art exhibits on a regular basis. Other cultural activities such as recitals, readings and art classes are conducted at the Center. 

Visit the Deines Website for current events and showings!