People might think it's crazy to try to launch an arts center in hard-scrabble McKees Rocks.

That bothers the Rev. Regis Ryan not a bit.

"We've been doing crazy things for 36 years," says Father Ryan, who heads Focus on Renewal, a community center which has over the years brought a health care center, an adult living center and a library to McKees Rocks.

The agency's latest pursuit, the Sto-Rox Cultural and Arts Center, now in the early stages of construction in the former Desks Inc., furniture store on Chartiers Avenue, is about $3 million from reality, but Father Ryan is upbeat.

"We've made approaches to various foundations, and they have given us a good response," he said.

The agency has enough money now to complete the demolition phase, which will take about three months. Father Ryan said if funding becomes available and work can continue, the center could open in about a year.

The plan is for a 120-seat theater, a coffee shop, rental lofts for artists, art studios, dance studios and music rehearsal rooms.

The focus will be on introducing the arts to underprivileged children in McKees Rocks, but it would be open to everyone.

"The older folks are going to love it," Father Ryan said, "with places to do crafts. And there's a strong Eastern European community here, and I can see ethnic events, traditional dance classes."

The project has its roots in the Sanders decree, a court action that ordered Allegheny County to do more to integrate its communities. Residents of the McKees Rocks Terrace (now Meyers Ridge) and Hays Manor public housing projects were among the plaintiffs in that case, and they had turned to F.O.R. to help make the best use of the money.

"The first idea the plaintiffs came up with was a laundromat," Father Ryan said. But research showed that few would use it, and the idea was scrapped in favor of an effort to get people into home ownership. That worked for about 10 families, but the effect was limited.

Then they hit on the idea of an arts center.

"The arts -- dance, art, music -- is something that brings people together," Father Ryan said.

The group bought the former furniture store for $250,000 and put $50,000 into asbestos removal. That left them with about $500,000 -- and plans for a $3.4 million project.

News coverage of the initial efforts, though, brought two important allies on board. One was South Hills architect John Baverso, a former student of Father Ryan's who volunteered his services.

The other was Point Park University, which was pursuing a grant for community outreach and looking for a partner.

Point Park's Pat Moran said the university was applying for a Community Outreach Partnership Center grant in 2003, saw coverage of the McKees Rocks effort, and got in touch with Father Ryan.

"The lady who was writing that grant called us to ask if we wanted this relationship," he said, then chuckled. "We jumped at that."

Ms. Moran, an artist and McKees Rocks native, was helping the F.O.R. effort at the time, and also had Point Park connections, having done grant-writing for the university before. The university hired her to coordinate the grant.

"It was a wonderful fit, for many, many reasons," she said.

Ms. Moran said Point Park got involved in the planning processes, but also wanted to help raise interest and awareness. So when the grant money began in January 2004, it launched arts programs for Sto-Rox kids, first at a local church and then in the schools.

"We teach about 100 students a semester," she said, with 15-20 Point Park students and six to eight faculty members or other arts professional involved at any time. The programs run for eight to 10 weeks, capped off with public performances.

"A lot of these kids had never been on stage before," Father Ryan said.

The grant ends in December, but Ms. Moran said the university is not about to walk away.

"Point Park is really committed to keeping the relationship going," she said; it has offered to help her transition into a working position in the community, and is looking to use the center as a training ground and outreach opportunity for students and faculty.

"Sixty to 70 percent of our students are not from Pittsburgh," Ms. Moran said. "They're not familiar with economically depressed communities like McKees Rocks.

"A lot of them really value the experiences they've had there, find it a really rich learning environment." She hopes that work-study relationships, internships, practicums and simple volunteerism will keep things going.

She also said new university president Paul Hennigan has set community service as one of the university's goals, which is encouraging. "I hope the momentum we've created can continue," she said.

No matter what, though, Father Ryan sees a community excited about the possibilities, and he's heard from a number of people interested in teaching.

"I've had a lot of people saying 'Get that thing built and I'll be there to teach ballet,' " Father Ryan said.

The theater will be an asset beyond stage shows, too, he said -- with moveable seating, it will be a good site for wedding receptions and other gatherings.

The possibilities have won over Mr. Baverso, who had some misgivings shortly after volunteering to do the architecture.

"I had a hard time at first putting my heart into it," he said. "I thought, 'you can't do all this, it's too much for a 26,000-square-foot building.' " But as he dug in, he said, he realized that a two-story addition on one side of the building, strange as it looked from the outside, created a natural place for the theater. From there things simply began falling into place, right down to the ceramics studios in the basement.

He's now excited about the project. "I hate to say it's going to be a crown jewel for the community, but it really is," Mr. Baverso said.

He said a glassed-in stair tower will adorn the now-ungainly addition, and the brickwork on the building's front will be preserved and highlighted. The interior will be relatively simple, highlighted by the preserved embossed ceilings and quality finishes throughout.

And he's happy for the opportunity to pay back Father Ryan, who taught him in 1968, when he was a senior at St. Thomas High School in Braddock.

"As soon as I saw the article, I thought, 'I haven't talked to the Father in 30 years,' " Mr. Baverso said.

Mr. Baverso said Father Ryan was newly ordained at the time, in his 20s and easy for the teenagers to relate to. "He was always having fun with all the guys I hung around with," Mr. Baverso said. "You couldn't help but like the guy."

For Father Ryan, it is gratifying to see so many elements come together to give the people of McKees Rocks -- people he's been serving for more than three decades -- a creative outlet, an opportunity to dream that they couldn't get otherwise.

"If you have a car, there are a dozen dance schools you can go to around here," he said. "If you don't, you have nothing."

If things work out, that will soon no longer be true.