Buffalo Rising Online

Oct 6th 2005, 2:28pm By queenseyes

Artspace Update: Artspace, the nationis leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts, is planning to develop a 60-unit ilive/worki project at the historic Breitweiser Building at 1219 Main Street. Built in 1914 as an automobile factory, the Breitweiser is one of Buffalois most significant historic buildings.

Now it will live on, renovated and updated as an affordable home for artists and their families. The $16 million project will consist of 36 units in the five-story Breitweiser plus 24 units in six new four-plexes on vacant land immediately behind it.

Each unit will contain both residential space and sufficient additional space for a working studio. In all, the project will have six studio apart-ments, 26 units with one bedroom, 22 with two bedrooms, and six with three. Monthly rents will range from about $450 to about $895, including utilities.

Other project amenities will include high-speed internet access, off-street parking, easy access to rapid transit (the nearest subway station is only two blocks away), and 12,000 square feet of commercial space earmarked for creative and arts-friendly businesses. Construction will begin this fall, with completion expected near the end of 2006.

Artspace was established in 1979 to advocate for the space needs of artists in Minneapolisi historic Warehouse District and effectively filled that role for a decade. By the late 1980s, however, it was clear that the problem required a more proactive approach, and Artspace made the leap from advocate to developer. Since then, the scope of Artspace's activities has grown dramatically. Artspace is now a national leader in the field of developing affordable space for artists through the adaptive reuse of old buildings, new construction, or both.

Over the last two decades, Artspace has completed 13 major ilive/worki projects for artists and their families in Minnesota and eight other states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Connecticut. Buffalo is the site of its first New York project. These projects have created more than 560 residential units for artists and their families.

Artspace is creating a no-obligation iinterest listi for artists who would like to receive more information about this project, including application materials when they become available in late 2006. If you would like your name to be added to this list, please e-mail Wendy Thompson, Artspace Director of Asset Management, at wendythompson@artspaceusa.org. The subject line should say iArtspace Buffalo,i and the message can be as simple as iPlease put me on the list.i If you donit have email, call (612) 465-0260 and leave your name, address, and telephone number.

For more information about Artspace, visit the organizationis website at www.artspaceusa.org. For more information about the Artspace Buffalo project, visit www.artspacebuffalo.org. Interested in the renderings and ground floor design of the project? Wed, Oct 12th, 10:30a, at Kleinhans Mary Seton Room, Senator Hillary Clinton will be in town to celebrate the Artspace Buffalo Project, along with Mayor Anthony Masiello, The City of Buffalo, and Artspace. Above Graphic: Architectis rendering of new fourplexes and common area

Thanks Arete!