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At the end of the 2007-2008 school year, 21 schools in the DCPS closed for good. During the summer, the city put up a request for proposals for ways to reuse the buildings, and via the Bloomingdale blog, it looks like some of our local arts supporters grabbed on to the opportunity.
The newly formed FLUX is a collaboration between the Washington Project for the Arts, Molly and Paul Ruppert of Warehouse, and Artomatic. The team has submitted a proposal for the reuse of J. F. Cook Elementary School, located at 30 P Street NW, as a "a synergetic hub for the arts that meets the needs of area artists, designers, performers, residents and arts administrators by creating a multi-purpose flexible venue which is deeply used to further the mission of the individual partners and provide unique, exciting and culturally rich community benefits."
FLUX notes that such a place would fill a big hole in the art community, and wouldn't need much redesign of the existing space to suit their needs. The classrooms can serve as low-cost artist studios, community meeting spaces, and galleries, while the auditorium and cafeteria can be used for performances and bigger events. The venue would host monthly open studio events, festivals, and art education classes, and would finally give Artomatic permanent office space.
In pursuit of such an all encompassing art space, it seems that the WPA, Warehouse, and Artomatic are the perfect team to manage such a huge endeavor. WPA's experience managing a slew of in-house artists and exhibits, Warehouse's ability to manage multi-use space and encourage experimental activities, and Artomatic's superhuman cat herding skills are just what the doctor ordered to start this kind of venture.
Other uses have been proposed for Cook, such as a job training center, police sub-station, or high-end grocery store. The evaluation period ended last Sunday, so we should hear in the next week what the Office of Property Management has elected to do with the school.
UPDATE: Paul Ruppert just called and gave us the skinny. Apparently the proposal submitted was actually for the city's Request for Expressions of Interest. The next step is to file another form for the more involved Request for Proposals, specific to individual schools, whereas the RFEI was for a vague block of schools within a ward. The process to decide what goes in the Cook building could take months, but the good news is that WPA, Warehouse, and Artomatic have banded together for a purpose, not a space, so they'll keep looking for venues if this one doesn't work out.
Image by Intangible Arts
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How about affordable housing for AIG, Lehman, Fannie & Freddie executives.
Nevermind that District and Federal law dictates that DC is supposed to make closed school buildings available to public charter schools first.
Public charter schools now serve over 30% of public school students in DC. Many of these students are in inadequate facilities, or squeezed into commercial office or warehouse space.
These schools were made for school children - they have cafeterias, gyms, classrooms, health rooms, outdoor recreation areas. DC should start following the law, and start providing the 26,000+ students who attend public charter schools with the equal resources they deserve.
wallenda: maybe they can give one of the other 4-5 closed schools on that block to a couple of charters. there are so many closed schools around there it's dizzying.
there seems to be a large number of public and charter schools within walking distance of 30 P street. is there reason to believe that there is a shortage of schooling options in this area?
What are the educational and cultural options in the area in the evening, on weekends, and for the rest of the community? Big Ben? Fur? Emory Shelter?
The Arts Center as proposed by FLUX is deeply promising, and the organizations involved have a proven track record of forming, solidifying and enhancing vibrant communities. With the possible encroaching of development in MVT and NoMa, our communities along the north capitol corridor are getting swallowed up by corporations and organizations that are not home-grown nor do they have the interest of locals at heart.