The Paul Engle Center for Neighborhood Arts (PEC) honors the spirit of one of Iowa's most noted writers and artists.  Born Oct. 12, 1908, Paul Engle grew up on 16th Street SE, in the Wellington Heights section of Cedar Rapids.  By the time of his death in 1991, he had achieved international recognition in the arts.

As director of the Iowa Writers Workshop, Engle helped make the word Iowa synonymous with imagination and creative excellence.  As a founder of the University of Iowa's International Writing Program, he embodied art's ability to provide a meeting ground for people from different nations, races and cultural backgrounds. An accomplished poet and teacher, nominated for the Nobel Prize, he remains a source of community pride and inspiration.

As a teenager, Engle had his first real job in this building, selling ice cream in the pharmacy along side Hladky's Grocery.  In his memoirs, he described the experience as his "window into the whole area." You can read more about Who Paul Engle was here.

The Paul Engle Center for Neighborhood Arts is a volunteer operated facility with an all volunteer board of directors and we're located at 1600 4th Ave SE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Give us a call if you're interested in volunteering your time at the PEC, or, if you're interested in renting the facility for your next event fill out the rental request form.

If you have questions or need more information contact us at 319-366-1836 or send us an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Long live the arts!!