Youngstown woman preserves local history, brother’s memory with new retreat center

Meet Erin Timms, owner of the Calvin Center for the Arts in the Mahoning Commons neighborhood of Youngstown.

This year, she’s finishing up renovating the 175-year-old building into a space for group workshops, classes and even overnight stays in newly refurbished, unique apartments.

“I converted a residential for the oldest section of the building to be able to do short-term, long-term stays, to do a couple apartments, but really the idea was to have people to come traveling through and to do retreats and different things,” Timms said.

Timms took on the task from her older brother, Sean, of refurbishing the Calvin Center’s three floors and basement into a multifunctional center.

“The Calvin Center became a place to celebrate my brother’s love of Youngstown and its diverse community, bringing people together with joy and encouraging the creative spirit of those around him,” she said.

Sean Timms purchased the building in 2010, but died unexpectedly in 2015.

Grieving this loss, Timms, an architect, purchased the building in 2018 to take over renovations after his death.

“I wanted to do something good there; we also offer spaces that are for rent, for different teachings and education and retreat,”

Timms described opening the Nyasa Urban Retreat Center this year as “a rebirth.”

“When you lose someone, it can be really hard, but I learned about how everything is a cycle and rebirth into something new - Nyasa and the renovations are part of this rebirth that needed to happen,” said Timms.

“Being able to actually preserve something, to get your hands dirty and really invest in the city is important. I love Youngstown; it’s accessible and you can make change,” she added. “It might take time but owning a building and trying to become more involved has helped. It’s been 20 years and it’s a completely new city for me.”

What is the Nyasa Urban Retreat Center?

Timms recently hosted an open house at the Nyasa Retreat Center, located at 755 Mahoning Ave. in the theatre and arts district of the Mahoning Commons.

“There’s some places I’ve gone in Pennsylvania that do these type of events where they have ground set up, and the intention is to do work, yoga, meditation, ecstatic dance and other types of things. There was a feminist retreat I used to do at a place called Amethyst, and so that was some of the idea behind Nyasa,” she said. “I am in the city, so making an urban retreat center is part of it.”

She said so far they’ve hosted a couple of classes to commemorate the new center.

“I’m trying to get some friends of mine who work with me and have their own yoga practices. I’m trying to encourage people to start teaching classes here so that we could offer more opportunities for things that people can partake in locally,” Timms said.

The seven apartments at the Nyasa Retreat Center can be rented through AirBnB and other sites like VRBO.

“Having it be both allows me that opportunity to still have income coming through, and then for people who might want to be interested or have a class, it’ll be offered here and available,” she said. “I have somebody today comung in to discuss potential classes in the future, or things that could be offered through the building that deal with health and wellness.”

Outside the business, Timms practices karma yoga and focuses on keeping a sustainable lifestyle that suits her dietary needs.

“In the Youngstown area, we have really great teachers who teach traditional yoga,” she said. “I think there’s a way to really work with people. I have some dietary challenges that have kind of led me into a path of healthy foods and sustainable living. That has moved me away from chemicals like chemical cleaners and those type of kind of things, and work more with enzymes and natural ways to help regenerate your body.”

Calvin Center for the Arts history

The Calvin Center for the Arts was first built in 1877 by Plympton Ross Berry.

Timms said it was one of the first buildings in the city to have indoor plumbing.

Berry was a self-trained African American architect who started in brick masonry when he was just 16 years old and his legacy would go on for generations.

“Berry’s industrious career would include owning and operating many brick yards that produced his signature reddish-orange bricks that would be used in over 60 of his building projects and brick road projects in Youngstown and neighboring towns in Pennsylvania,” Timms wrote on AirBnB. “Many of the classic details from the past are still featured in the building’s solid massing with large windows and tall ceilings that give it a spacious open feel.”

The building was first used as a school until the mid-1940’s, before being purchased by Hungarian Presbyterian Church. The church leaders added a gymnasium and kitchen to the property.

The Calvin Center for the Arts was transformed again in the 1980’s into art studio spaces and theaters for the growing arts community.

Most recently, there have been several events at the Calvin Center, including the live music, Youngstown Comic Con and events for the Youngstown Area Roller Derby team.

Support our journalists with a tax-deductible donation

Sign up for our Mahoning Matters newsletter