After 15 years, the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC) is closing its doors for good.
In a Tuesday Facebook post, HMAC said it was unable to come to an agreement with the city over how to pay “outstanding” amusement taxes.
Harrisburg City Solicitor Neil Grover told PennLive the amusement tax balance isn’t new and said the owners of HMAC “have collected taxes from people and decided to keep them.”
“Their customers have paid their taxes,” Grover said. “They [HMAC ownership] just haven’t turned them over. That’s one issue.”
During a Tuesday night Harrisburg City Council meeting, several residents — including an HMAC bartender and the daughter of an HMAC owner — urged council members to help organize a meeting that could save the venue.
One speaker noted Harrisburg’s amusement tax sits at 10%, compared with much larger cities like Philadelphia, which charges a 5% tax, and New York City, which comes in at around 8.8%.
“It’s [HMAC] a community. It is an amazing, amazing jewel that we have here in our city, and I am ashamed that it’s being treated this way. This seems to be a no-brainer. We’re coming to you for help. We need your help, city council,” the person said.
That amusement tax is included in ticket sales at HMAC, which Grover said has amounted to millions of dollars, as far as the city is aware.
Grover added that businesses can be charged the 10% tax plus interest if funds are withheld.
HMAC’s Facebook post, directed toward Mayor Wanda Williams and her administration, also said Harrisburg refused to renew the venue’s health and mercantile licenses, forcing the business to shut down.
“Without these [licenses], and in accordance with requirements from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, HMAC is legally prohibited from continuing operations,” the post said.
HMAC said it has been in contact with the city regarding the outstanding payments, but said the decision to shut down was made despite “repeated, good-faith efforts by HMAC’s ownership and legal representatives to engage city leadership in meaningful dialogue.”
Efforts to set up a structured payment plan to eliminate the remaining balance “were met with silence” from city officials, the post went on to say.
On Tuesday evening, Grover said HMAC’s debts include “a number of things” beyond the amusement taxes and that the business owes the city “a substantial amount of money.”
Ava Werner, daughter of an HMAC owner Chris Werner, told council members the center is more than just a venue for an occasional concert.
“It was a vision. My dad believed that our community deserved more culture, more creativity and more opportunity,” she said. “A place where people can be who they want and express themselves in ways nowhere else would accept. A place where anyone from anywhere can come together.”
The HMAC news comes during a time when community efforts to revitalize a slumping downtown Harrisburg are ramping up.
Jordan Trevino, an HMAC bartender of six years, said the venue is a hub that brings people to Harrisburg from places far and wide.
“I have so many fun conversations every night I work there, pretty much. People who’ve never been to the city that love it, ask where they should go next,” he said.
In addition to concerts, HMAC hosts a plethora of community-based events, such as comedy nights, trivia, poetry readings, book and clothing swaps and political events and fundraisers.
“It’s just a place the community comes together. And if Ms. Williams and [city solicitor Neil] Grover cannot come to an agreement, which they need to do, the community will lose all of that,” another community member said during the council meeting.
“For 15 years, HMAC has been more than a business. It has been a home for artists, a stage for expression, and a gathering place for connection. It has brought music, poetry, theater, art, performance, and shared experience to thousands. It has drawn visitors who supported neighboring restaurants, hotels, and small businesses. It has stood as a symbol of creativity, resilience, and community investment—even during the most uncertain times,” the venue’s statement said.
The full message is posted on HMAC’s Facebook page.
Grover noted Harrisburg is “exploring all legal options” regarding HMAC and its debts.