The city will ask council to support a recommendation to transform 19 Cambridge St. into an arts and culture hub modelled on a Kitchener creative arts space.
The former law office offers 4,779 square feet of space, plus 1,682 square feet of basement space and was purchased by the city for about $1.9 million in 2022.
There was no plan on how to utilize it at the time other than to add property to the city hall campus, which includes 17 Cambridge St.
The city planned on leasing the building until arts and culture staff and members of the public expressed interest in utilizing it as an arts hub during recent discussions about the city's 10-year Arts and Culture Action Plan.
One "substantial submission" to lease the property would have required at least a 10-year commitment and would have prevented the creation of the hub as well as the future expansion of city hall, reads a report headed to council next week.
Instead, citing space limitations at the Cambridge Centre for the Arts and a lack of affordable studio space elsewhere, staff is recommending the arts hub for the vacant building with a goal to expand city-led programming for all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
"The addition of 19 Cambridge Street would allow for opportunities such as a youth arts hub, special events lending and storage space, and up to twelve unique at-cost rental spaces available to artists and cultural practitioners without displacing existing program offerings."
It would also allow the city to offer a print studio space, the report says.
The idea aligns with the recently approved arts and culture plan and its goal to make Cambridge "a thriving centre of creative and cultural development."
"This will be completed by making it a destination for artists and creatives, developing new and leveraging existing partnership structures to grow the local cultural network, and enhancing how local cultural spaces are used."
The staff report suggest using the 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace in downtown Kitchener as a model of an "innovative, space-sharing practice."
That workspace "endeavors to expand, support and connect local artists, cultural practitioners, and creative entrepreneurs," the report says.
It provides shared and independent studio space and "a unique opportunity for artists and creative organizations to come together to foster cross-sectoral partnerships."
CambridgeToday columnist and longtime arts supporter Jill Summerhayes consulted with the city on its Arts and Culture Action Plan and is among the members of the public championing the arts hub idea.
In an email to CambridgeToday, she says what's lacking at the Cambridge Centre for the Arts could be addressed at the new hub.
That space, which opened in 2001, was designed to accommodate groups taking classes or workshops and has no individual studio space, nor places to lock up, leave your work and return later, she said. It's also expensive to rent for events.
Summerhayes envisions the hub space as something that's more suitable for individual artists since it would have private studios and a drop in area for creative people, to meet others, chat and share ideas.
"There could be regular open coffee hours, say three days a week for a couple of hours, to welcome people, and tell them what is available in Cambridge."
The hub idea also supports Arts-Build Ontario's interest in expanding into Cambridge
The provincial arts organization helps municipalities find long-term solutions for arts and creative spaces and already works in partnership with the City of Kitchener as an anchor tenant at 44 Gaukel.
Pending council approval of the hub idea, staff would put together operating and capital impacts for the project as part of the 2025 budget process.
The city estimates start-up costs for new flooring, security, accessibility upgrades, mechanical review and repair would land somewhere in the range of $75,000 and $100,000.
Those costs could be covered by the city's the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) fund given the hub's potential impact on tourism, the report says. The tax was approved in 2019 to add 4 per cent to hotel stays in the city.
When the city purchased the former law office in 2022, annual operating costs for the occupied building were $38,192.