SALT Block Foundation

The SALT Block Foundation, established in 1997, was founded to provide a home for “Science, the Arts, and Literature together”. The Salt Block itself, located in downtown Hickory, NC, was previously Claremont High School or Hickory High School from 1925-1974. After the school moved, the building sat vacant for several years before community advocate Harley F. Shuford envisioned it as a cultural arts center.The SALT Block, now home to various cultural institutions, officially reopened in 1986 as the Arts & Science Center of Catawba Valley. The Catawba Science Center, Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory Choral Society, and Western Piedmont Symphony reside within the SALT Block, alongside the Patrick Beaver Library, added by the City of Hickory in the late 90s.