Local business owners, artists and museum highlight downtown revival and historic preservation

Business owners, artists and museum staff used the council meeting's public-comment and presentation portions Oct. 21 to describe downtown Ontario’s recent revival and plans for more cultural activity.

Damien Mel and Mia Veil, founders of Holt and Palm, described converting a 100-year-old former auto showroom into a 13,000-square-foot retail and workspace, and said phase 2 design includes a pizza restaurant on the building’s east side to serve the Arts District. "We bought it because about 15, 16 years ago, we toured the property... and we realized that it needed a tremendous amount of work," one owner said, noting preservation of original trusses and floors and uncovering a Ford logo from the building’s Citrus Ford history.

Nancy De Amar, community liaison for the Chaffey Community Museum of Art, recounted CCMA’s move into the historic 1919 Ontario Power Company building and the museum’s plan to mark its 85th anniversary in 2026 with expanded programming. De Amar said the museum published a book on Pomona Valley artists from roughly 1940 to 1970 to lift up local art history.

Artist Alejandro Poli Jr (Man 1) said Ontario’s shorter commutes and nearby cultural scene have enabled him to work full time as an artist and urged creation of a full arts department. Councilmembers and other speakers during council matters praised recent murals downtown and credited local business owners and staff for helping produce the public artwork.

Council remarks later in the meeting thanked staff and volunteers for a community cleanup, an art festival that featured 65 artists, and for securing funding for murals, noting downtown redevelopment and increased foot traffic.