Gala to celebrate Fort Piqua Plaza’s revival

Historic building restored, reopened 10 years ago

PIQUA — With the 10-year anniversary of the $22 million restoration and reopening of the Fort Piqua Plaza coming up in October, the Friends of the Piqua Public Library will be commemorating it with an evening of elegance.

A gala hosted by the Friends of the Piqua Public Library will be held on Friday, Nov. 16, at the Fort Piqua Plaza, featuring the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra with Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman. Invitations and tickets for the gala will be made available in October.

“It opened in October of 2008,” Ruth Koon of the Friends of the Piqua Public Library said of Fort Piqua Plaza. “Of a town of 20,000 people, we raised over $22 million, which is outstanding.” Koon added later, “Because it was such a major project for the community, that’s why we want to make sure we commemorate it.”

“We’re highlighting the elegance of the building with this grand event,” Don Smith of the Friends of the Piqua Public Library said. “We’re kind of going back in time in a way … For Piqua to have something that’s a black-tie optional event that has the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra involved is really unprecedented. You don’t find that kind of an event very often, and that really celebrates the heart of the building.”

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