Work continues on
555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios new Southwest Detroit home, and they hope to settle into an East Side location as well.
The gallery is temporarily located at 3041 W. Vernor, the former BUOY 3 building, as construction continues on the Third Precinct building two blocks west, which will be the gallery's permanent home. Carl W. Goines, co-founder and executive director of 555, says that asbestos and lead paint are being removed from the old station, and the work should be wrapped up in another month or two, which would then allow for internal renovation work. Southwest Housing Solutions is the developer for the $2 million project, with completion scheduled June 2011.
555 also recently purchased a building on the East Side, a 1913 cigar factory near Chene and Mt. Elliott. Goines expects that both spaces will have studios and galleries, while the Southwest building will be the predominant gallery space.
The new space will be using grant money from the Erb Family Foundation to work with Southwest Solutions and Detroit Farm and Garden to install a green roof on the former garage, as well as a rain garden and cisterns. There will be a sculptural piece that utilizes the green roof but at ground level.
The old police station has been vacant since 2005, when the Detroit Police Department reorganized its precincts. The new creative arts center development will house classrooms, studio and performance spaces, and office and retail space.
Goines says the building also provided the potential for other art organizations that may not have the extra space to get involved in the community of artists there.
"We're definitely very excited about moving forward with it," he says. "We're anxious to see the building finished."
Call 888-495-ARTS.
Source: Carl W. Goines, 555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios co-founder and executive director
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
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