A little over a year ago, Conner Contemporary Gallery announced the closing of their gallery space in North Dupont to start renovations on a new building in Northeast D.C. This Saturday is the inaugural opening of the new space, and DCist got a sneak peak.

From the outside, the simple facade blends in with the neighborhood and gives nothing away of the two gallery spaces, which include 15 foot ceilings, a large courtyard and 8 foot wide hallways. In total, there is 7,000 square feet of gallery space on the first floor. You could probably fit their old space in the back storage area, just to give some perspective of how large it is.

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They folks at Conner had wanted to move out of their Dupont location for some time, and had been looking for a new space for about 3 years before the building where they are located in now went on the market. In its previous life, it was an auto body shop, and was still functioning as such when owner Leigh Conner and co-founder Jamie Smith went to look it over.

Located one block north of H Street, the area slowly grew on them. Erik Sandberg, an artist they represent, has his studio behind the Atlas Theater, and Mary Coble, another of their artists, lives around the corner. Conner acknowledged that the area has its problems, but with the recent H Street development, and many galleries looking into the area, it felt right. Conner sees the neighborhood as a destination for visual arts, with the Atlas and the H Street Players just around the corner.

The length of the building is highlighted as the hallway to the back stretches from the front gallery and traverses down through the space, past the middle gallery. The front gallery is 60 feet wide with a discreet reception area, which allows visitors to focus on the art and not be distracted by administrative doings. For openings, the lower counter that stretches beyond the privacy wall will double as a bar.

In the middle of the space is a smaller gallery with a dedicated media room that is tucked away in the corner. It is still a work in progress; acoustic tiles will be added for upcoming sound installations, as well as an interactive media center.

Throughout the gallery are small touches of character that pay homage to the building's former use. The needed duct work, found throughout the gallery, is cleverly disguised and quietly hides along the exposed ceiling beams. The offices and kitchen are located directly under the ramp to the second floor, which was once used for cars. The concrete floor was left as is, except in the front gallery. It still shows signs of wear and tear, including oil stains and auto body paint. A common area found in between houses, called a well, came with the property and was reclaimed for the inside and converted into a bathroom.

Beyond the amazing amount of interior space, the gallery sports an outdoor courtyard that will be used as exhibit space and potentially host performances. The area is wired for video, and for the opening, a light sculpture by Leo Villareal will be installed there.

The back area is still in development and currently being used for storage. The back wall boasts a roll up door that is 9 feet wide and as tall as the ceilings. It serves as an entrance for large art pieces to brought in and moved around the interior of the gallery, through 8 foot wide hallways, something that their previous space lacked.

Though last minute touches were still happening Thursday (miscellaneous drilling noise was a constant in the background), Conner felt ready for the opening. "The staff has been working overtime, including the artists," she said. Conner said that working up until the last minute was normal, citing their perfectionism.

The gallery will open this Saturday, September 27 from 6-8 p.m. for its inaugural exhibit with Leo Villareal in a solo show in the front gallery, and a group show of new works from their artists in the middle gallery. RSVP required: info [at] connercontemporary.com.

Images by Kelly Rand

Conner Contemporary Gallery is located at 1358-60 Florida Ave, NE and is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.