on vinyl, was dedicated. At a cost of $33,000.00, the mural is based on historical research and focuses on the crude oil and natural gas exploration of this region. I recently spoke with a National Transit tenant involved in the development of the arts (with keys in hand – see photo) who provided the following information: It has an amazing history – at the turn of the last century, as the national headquarters for the oil industry under John D. Rockefeller and more recently, as the focus of a growing arts movement in Oil City. This magnificent historic building went through some hard times in the late 1980s and 1990s. At one point there were plans to tear it down and put up a CVS! Ralph Nader heard about it, bought the building and several years later turned it over to a non-profit corporation founded to manage it, the Oil City Civic Center. It has been restored chiefly through the efforts of volunteers. Today it is the hub of Oil City's arts revitalization and it offers work and teaching spaces for visual artists, musicians, dancers, two galleries and a performance space. The Oil City Civic Center, Inc. is charged with preserving the historic complex and to provide affordable space for nonprofit organizations. In 2016, the building hosted the inaugural Oil Valley Film Festival. References Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Pennsylvania Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Commercial buildings completed in 1896 Buildings and structures in Oil City, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Venango County, Pennsylvania