The Art League of Jacksonville, Inc., The Art Center Cooperative, Inc. are non-profits dedicated to arts education and engagement. These organizations have come together with a unique idea to revitalize the property known as the Armory located at 851 North Market Street, in downtown Jacksonville. The property mentioned above sits dormant in a state of suspended disrepair. For over forty years, the
building served as the City’s principal public facility for entertainment/social events, such as an address by first lady
Eleanor Roosevelt, dances, boxing matches, and concerts by renowned singers. The Department of Recreation and Public Affairs began using the building in 1973, where it remained the headquarters for the City’s parks and recreation system until 2010. In 2013, the non-profits listed above formed a partnership in the form of the Founder’s Committee. This committee seeks to petition the city for the use of the building in order to create a unified public center for the arts, nicknamed “the Artery”. Each of these organizations represent unique arts-centric offerings to the communities in and around the metropolitan areas of Jacksonville. Cultural events are great for downtown Jacksonville, but providing a daily cultural destination in the heart of the city through on-going arts activities and a functioning gallery is
immense as it would pay ongoing dividends in the cause of revitalizing downtown. Adding resources for downtown visitors and residents in a time when budgets are slashed would bring the city a victory in the minds of many residents. This goal has led to the expansion of focus to encompass a facility similar to The Torpedo Factory, a successful consolidated arts center in Alexandria, Virginia. Once the center has been realized, the plan for this facility to be open and accessible to other groups and non-profits to facilitate their needs offers even greater impact. This partnership would offer the city access to the facility to support Jacksonville cultural events, helping to fulfil the goals established through the JAX2025 process. The committee has elected to pursue development of a broad reaching art center focusing on:
• Arts education for citizens in the area
• Professional development and sales, jobs and gallery opportunities for local artists
• Development of theatrical and performing arts for local children and adults
• Hosting of continuous visual and performing arts shows
• Providing of rental studio space and performance venue for local artists and groups
During some initial meetings, The Founder’s Committee came to the decision that the Armory on State and Market streets could satisfy this need. The group has toured the facility and while considerable work will need to be done to the facility to complete our final goal, incremental improvements will be done that will allow us to open the facility in phases to achieve our goals. The large space within the Armory is especially suited for our planned needs. A study was recently done for the city of Alexandria concerning the value of the Torpedo Factory to its economic and civic viability. While we realize the connections are not directly related to our start-up of this project the similarities and vision are connected in very tangible ways. This report is readily available as an addendum to this media kit for review upon request.
