Help the Hoenke's with Fidelia Hall

Fidelia Hall was founded in 2015 when we (Haley and Justin Hoenke) decided to return to Crawford County Pennsylvania to pursue a job and a dream. What made the move super enticing was the opportunity to purchase the old St. Paul’s Church in Titusville, PA. This location, which also included the church’s former rectory, presented us with a unique situation: a location that allowed us to not only raise our family together but also a space to develop a community center that supports the local community in arts, music, crafts, and education.

The idea that drives Fidelia Hall is simple: the belief that community can be strengthened when it has a space dedicated to creative expression. With over 4,000 square feet of space, Fidelia Hall allows us to both provide people with a platform to express their creativity which strengthens the community, and also the space to allow our family to live together and explore this magical thing we call life.

With our purchase, we moved into the house and focused on transforming the old church into a space we call Fidelia Hall. Named after Fidelia Barnsdall, whose name we found on the original deed of the property with her husband William, we quickly began fixing up the 145 year old church building. We envisioned it as place where not only our family lived and grew together but also the ultimate community space for arts, events, and more.


Over the past three years, our Fidelia Hall journey has had many ups and downs. Through it all, we’ve remained committed to our original idea. We’ve done our best to stay patient, steady, and focused. We remind ourselves that bumps in the road cannot derail something that we know will bring great positivity in the world.

Over time, change has occurred as it naturally does with everything. Our ideas for Fidelia Hall have evolved and grown and today we bring you our present day plan for Fidelia Hall and our family moving forward.  We have decided to move our family home into the downstairs of the old church building. WHY? The Summer of 2016 was the moment where we realized that our house (the former rectory) was in really bad shape and it presented both physical and mental ailments for all of the members in our family. That was the summer where all of the following happened:

-Mold was found in the downstairs bathroom.
-Part of the downstairs bathroom ceiling fell down.
-The roof sprung a leak and now it rains in the dining room.
-Plumbing in the upstairs bathroom sink stopped working.
-Our bedroom wall buckled, revealing more mold that spread to our family bed which had to be discarded.
-The kitchen floor sunk ever so slightly, causing the kitchen sink pipes to have a slow but steady leak. This also caused the drainage pipes to not line up, thus having some drainage issues that led to more mold.

Our hope is that once we move our family out of the house we will be able to properly assess the root causes of the problems, and decide a path forward then for the structure. We will still use the upstairs space (the chapel) of the church building as a community space. Our ideas for events are detailed below, and we are exploring the possibility of partnering with an already established 501c3 nonprofit in our county to help us deliver these events and programs.

The Story So Far...
It took us about a year to get together our ideas in regards to what FIDELIA HALL might look like. In spring 2016, we started a “soft launch” of FIDELIA HALL. We wanted to see what it would look like if we hosted a handful of events. These events included a concert by the local band A Summer High, hosting an art show for a local artists organization, and a potluck dinner for a local community group.


These events showed us two things:
1. That our initial mission to develop a community center that supports the local community in arts, music, crafts, and education was not only much needed but would be successful.
2.That we still had a lot of work to do on the building and the behind the scenes work before we could jump into a full slate of events at FIDELIA HALL.

Building & Property Improvements


Since moving into the property in June 2015, we’ve made a number of improvements to the property and building that have helped us inch even closer to our goal of opening the space to the public. When we purchased the property in 2015, the church building was without a functioning heating system. The building had sat empty for 2 years on the market and during that time all of the original heating system was damaged beyond repair when it was not turned on during those cold winters. The addition of a new heating system, new plumbing, and new water lines have been our big focus over the last three years. Below you will find a list along with the approximate cost associated with the improvements that we have made:

Temporary Repairs to the Original Heating System: $3000
Brand New Heat Systems Upstairs and Downstairs: $17,000
Downstairs Entrance Construction and Supplies: $1,000
Electrical Supplies and Labor: $1500
Carpet Removal: $150
Plumbing Labor and Materials: $2,500
Restoration of the Original Tin Ceiling: $500
New Handicap Ramp Roof and Gutters: $1200
TOTAL SPENT ON IMPROVEMENTS, September 2018: $27,350


There’s still a lot of work to be done, and that’s why we are here today to ask you to consider supporting Fidelia Hall as we move ahead with renovations that will help us complete our goal of creating a home not only for our family but also a space for the local community that supports the arts, music, and culture in our community.  At 145 years old, Fidelia Hall stands strong but needs love and repairs like any old building out there. Below are the projects that we hope to complete with your support:

Electrical work to ensure the building is safe: $2,000
Electrical Supplies: $1,000
Rental equipment to sand hardwood floors: $350
Supplies for rental equipment (sanding pads): $150
Drywall: $750
Primer, Paint, & Supplies: $1,000
Flooring for kitchen: $500
Polyurethane to seal new kitchen floor: $250
Plumbing Supplies: $750
Miscellaneous Supplies: $250
General Labor: $3,000
TOTAL NEEDED FOR IMPROVEMENTS, September 2018: $10,000

Frequently Asked Questions:

Are you a non-profit/501c3 organization?
We are not currently a non-profit. Our mission easily fits within the confines of official 501c3 nonprofit status. Our goals are to provide the community with opportunities for enrichment at little or no cost and our hope is to break even with the costs of maintaining the space.

We may apply for non-profit status once we have become more established. We are also considering options such as an LLC as a way for us to focus our efforts on improving the space while at the same time running community focused events. We also have the option of partnering with an already existing nonprofit in our county as an independent branch of their organization.

In the meantime we have started building relationships with local non-profit organizations and hope to partner with them whenever possible. We have also consulted with with accountants, lawyers, zoning officials and the local redevelopment authority to make sure that we are following all proper protocol as we move forward. There is also the possibility that we may never become an official “non-profit.” There are a lot of expenses involved in establishing and maintaining Federal 501c3 Non-Profit status. At this time the benefits of government approval do not outweigh the costs and hoops to jump through.

What are a few of the projects you have in mind?
Fidelia Hall Weed Garden: An interactive, hands-on nature garden which highlights the beauty and beneficial properties of Pennsylvania’s native weeds and wildflowers. This project falls within our Fidelia Hall Nature initiative: In our fast paced lives it is sometimes hard to take the time to smell the flowers. We have become so engrossed with our to-do lists that nature and the beauty that surrounds us everyday has become an invisible hum that we ignore. This separation from nature makes it difficult to see the direct impact that our lives have on the health of our earth. At Fidelia Hall we believe that in order for people to want to protect the environment they need to get to know it. Creating individual personal ownership and a love for nature is the only way to initiate positive environmental change. The weed garden will be located on the south facing side of the Fidelia Hall grounds. Adjacent to the sidewalk, this location will be easily accessible and viewed by both car and foot traffic.


Public Domain Film Night: Titusville does not have easy access to a movie theater and the closest movie theater is a 45 minute drive away. While we do not want to be a full time movie theater at Fidelia Hall, we still do understand the importance of having a space to show films and bring community members together. Instead of going the route of having popular films shown at Fidelia Hall, we instead wish to develop a free movie night focused around films in the public domain. Showing these films would be free of cost to Fidelia Hall while at the same time providing the community with an entertainment option in their own community.


All Ages Activity Stations: Our founding principle is that creativity and play are essential for the health and happiness of humans at every age. Throughout the space we will have interactive activity stations available to encourage playful tinkering. Some of our ideas for our All Ages Activity Stations include: A large zen-garden-inspired sandbox, upcycled cloth wall loom, doodle zone, and clay table.
Improv Movement and Music Sessions: A chance to move and play with no agenda. Be silly, be serious, be alone, be together, stretch, jump, flow, whatever your body and your spirit need to feel, make that happen.

Improv Movement and Music Sessions: A chance to move and play with no agenda. Be silly, be serious, be alone, be together, stretch, jump, flow, whatever your body and your spirit need to feel, make that happen.

Fidelia Day Camp: An interdisciplinary arts day camp for children. Fidelia Day Camp will focus on the experience of creating and engaging in the artistic process rather than performance or product. Each day will include sessions in movement, music, visual art, theater, nature, and play.

Independent Music Recording: A space where musicians who are just starting can create low cost demos and recordings of their music. Traditional recording studios are often not financially accessible to young musicians as they begin exploring their art. By offering the space and equipment we hope to remove that roadblock for up and coming artists.

What we will do with any additional funding?
1. Begin work to repair the ceiling in the former chapel of Fidelia Hall (now known as “The Great Hall”)
2. Begin painting the entire Great Hall space
3. Remove carpeting in the front entrance of Fidelia Hall and renovate the original hardwood floors found underneath.
4. Repave the cracks in the parking lot.
5. Purchase materials for events & program (microphones and sound equipment for music events, seating, and more)

Who are the Hoenke Family?

Haley Hoenke is a folk artist and community activist with a passion for hospitality. Haley is a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, PA where she focused her studies on Women’s Studies and Dance & Movement Studies. After college, Haley worked as an innkeeper, an event planner, a social media consultant, and continues to be a homeschooling mother. She has taken the lead in all the repairs and renovations of the Fidelia Hall homestead. Follow Haley’s art projects at Ten Cricket Crafts  . Haley also enjoys bad television.

Justin Hoenke is a librarian and a musician. He has worked in public libraries all over the United States and is currently the Executive Director of the Benson Memorial Library in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Before that, he was Coordinator of Tween/Teen Services at the Chattanooga Public Library in Chattanooga, TN where Justin created The 2nd Floor, a 14,000 square foot space for ages 0-18 that brought together learning, fun, creating, and public events. As a musician, Justin has been a part of the bands Zomo  and Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine  and has created the DIY record label Arbacarba Records which includes music recorded in Fidelia Hall. Follow Justin’s blog at Justin The Librarian . Justin also enjoys watching bees.

Finn Hoenke loves creating things out of found objects and is into Legos and engineering. He enjoys building stuff, understanding how things work, and is always curious about the world around him. Finn is homeschooled and is in the fourth grade.

Aero Hoenke enjoys playing drums and guitar, listening to music, and drinking tea. His favorite drummer is Matt Helders of the Arctic Monkeys. He loves finding Wood Sorrel and Purslane around Fidelia Hall to munch on. Aero is homeschooled and is in first grade.

Sonic Hoenke is a Border Terrier with an unreasonable and unrelenting obsession with tennis balls. She enjoys barking at chickens and staring out the window on the days when Justin comes home from work on time.

A Trio of Chickens: Our girls love dust baths and special treats. They come running like velociraptors anytime someone calls out giiiiiirls.

Demon Bunnies: Our 2 bunnies; Pancake and Michael Jackson like burrowing, vegetable treats and sunbathing. They do not like humans (except maybe their flesh).