Work starts on downtown artists apartments
Published 10:01 pm Thursday, February 19, 2009
EVERETT — It was an unlikely scene in downtown Everett on Thursday morning.
Despite an economy that has triggered drastic cuts to the arts and frozen many development projects, dozens of people gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited $17.2 million Everett Artspace Lofts building.
The four-story building, is expected to open in May 2010, with 40 affordable apartments for artists and their families.
Plans for the building include a 19,000-square-foot street-level visual arts education center owned and run by the Arts Council of Snohomish County.
A Minneapolis-based nonprofit arts community developer, Artspace, last year bought an old parking garage in the 2900 block of Hoyt Avenue from the city of Everett. Under the deal, Artspace has 100 years to repay the city $1 million, plus a small amount of interest.
Construction is expected to keep 100 people working for more than a year. The project will be built with money from various sources, including taxpayers and donations from foundations and individuals.
“This is a stimulus package,” said Cathryn Vandenbrink, regional director for Artspace. “It’s ready to go. Shovel-ready.”
