HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #63 - Discussion ItemW
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
(11JAN 26 AN S 56
A Corporation Not For Profit
January 25th, 1983.
Mr. Howard Gary,
The City Manager,
3500 Pan American Drive,
Miami, Fla. 33133.
Dear Mr. Gary:
re: Commission Agenda - February loth, 1983
I am requesting an opportunity to appear before the Miami
City Commission on the date of February loth for the pur-
pose of discussing the conversion of the Naval Reserve
Center property located on Bayshore Drive to a Coconut Grove
Center for the Arts for the primary purpose of developing
the fine arts, dance and music.
At the same time I will discuss the immense success of the
torpedo factory in Alexandria, Virginia which was converted
to a center for the arts and has been responsible for the
generation of over 45,000 visitors and tourists monthly.
I would appreciate very much your attention to this request.
Very truly yours,
r
Stuart Sorg - President
cc. Mayor Maurice Ferre
cc. Miami City Commissioners
2809 Bird Ave., Coconut Grove, FI. 33133 1 •(305)•40&j4 U 4 4 3 -4 7 3 3
,:..83-135.1
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A Corporation Not For Profit
February 9, 1983
Maurice A. Ferrel Mayor
Members of the City Commission
Howard Gary, City Manager
Proposed Conversion of the Naval Reserve Center to a Metropolitan
Miami multi purpose facility principally for: Dance 64
Music
Fine Art
The Mayor and the City Commissioner would appoint a Committee
for Development for the purpose of undertaking the acquisition
and construction. The suggested Chairman would be Stuart Sorg
with committee members appointed by the City Commission not
restricted to the City of Miami but restricted only to geo-
graphical Dade County.
The facility would be used for mini -concerts, performances,
art shows both indoors and in the court yard. An artist -in -
residence program would be established considering music,
dance and fine arts. Mr. Lester Pancoast and Charles Pawley
have previously been contacted to provide renderings of the
facility and in earlier meetings with the City '.Manager, main-
tenance of the facility by the City of Miami was discussed.
The center would become a focal point in South Florida for
the enhancement of cultural and artistic experiences, and the
anticipated potential for the center would be the attraction
of at least 40 thousand people each month, similar to that
which does occur at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria.
The Naval Reserve is scheduled to depart from the facility in
12 to 15 months, leaving a critical time period for the build-
ing to be transferred to the City of Miami by the Federal
Government.
Respectfully submitted,
4���
Stuart Sorg, Preside
Coconut Grove Deve opment Authority
SS/ek
2809 Bird Ave., Coconut Grove, A. 33133 1-(305)-446.7425
83--135 . I
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Cox i+levvSpepett TfSursday Afternoon, September 24-• 1981yypp Ilk
ice:
a
� ove. ury.
it
l 4Nproposed. o a . vs�
We envision it as a center for ttus Fi
ANA VECIANA-SUARE2 gP4ce•' are>tia lot mlt i cone its > era
MINM News a•n•r»r t:o-eonut Grove reatiyneeds to said "Coconut Grove reaiiY seed¢ t4? Ut
f. Miami city officials and Coconut Grove business- restore its art and cultural image. I cultural image: I think this tuould be an.il� a ' ,
-- inen would Like to"use the site .of the' U.S. Naval Re think this wOUIG bB Bn iLleal Wayto . S6r0ald he bas beet wmiiii►$ oa .
serve Unit In Coconut Grove as a cultural center for art •• pert the Navy reserve siteYor!2tt
F sh iws, concerts and offices for visiting artists. do So proposed a tentative plan to dtg o
The Navy is scheduled to move its 625•member re- The coMmisafonet's tQeA¢ tltta
` serve unit, now at 2610 Tigertail Ave., to a former mis- "We havg no money figures ytt. but'ttie" z a
Bile site in Carol City in 1985 or 1986. This would leave federal agency wants the buildings. the site would be • Sine and 2'm sure the Navy would leave bt. g
Y. '8 3
vecant 3.25 acres of prime Coconut Grove property. government is last in line. Some of the buildings art pre World War if o
But the state and federal governments have first offered to the state. Local g
diba on the site.The property.
a more t made opnien :.Stuart
utltoriyt has onv[nced some Wells Ifyic�atseto 'structures but they are i¢ good'stfape• 21te mALt ;, _; _
(x1 d1lim by U.S. Navy Pfeaas sM C , .r t7 �
available to other federal. agencies for office use. If no ask the federal government for the property. ,,,- i` Q y b
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CENTER a:- t from to
building. is a concrete block. structure Sorb;
- cemodatittg wouIdstP a ms+ •, ti,.c,>
»,-•...�» fiditfs eg4isiatted. •�.•aw•.,......,•:°�._
tCptans for a CoconurGrove center for' its are
approved by the city, it -would be at.least t,.,,q y l!
�sefore Ic wauid get a nder.way, Sorg said.
Acting assistant city manager Jim Reid said the city
would make an attempt to get the site from the federal
government, but a decision is several years away.- c
1v r` said. Sorg's idea is interesting, but it wouid,d�va
weighed against other proposals.
4 t Hulan Clinkscales. director of the Grove Naval fe.
CHIty. said that the city has "a goat chance" of getting
v w :, the property if it can convince the federal and state
b governments that it has a worthwhile project. .
"I know that the commercial developers are very
interested in it;' Clinkscales said. "As soon as they
heard we were thinkipg of moving they were calling
us up wanting to knout how to get access to the land"
Clinkscales said the property, now surrounded, by
rM mwft Nf-s-ea.,. RFWKE condos and townhomes, is not available for commercis(
development.
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CLAUDE PEPPER
I,TM OI. Ta1CT, FLORIDA
COMMITTEE ON RULES
_ 2219 RATMJRN HOUSE Or, 9 &AuXNo
WAININOTON, O.C. 20111•
201-22'5-3931
CHAIRMAN,
SELECT COMMITTEE ON AGING
712 HOUSE ANNEX I
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20315
202.223.9375
10Congrm of the mniteb atateo
Pouoe of JtepregentAtibO
W40bin$ton,13.0. 20315
December 22, 1981 -
Mr. Stuart Sorg, President
Coconut Grove Development Authority
2809 Bird Avenue
Coconut Grove, FL 33133 .,
Dear Mr. Sorg:
DISTRICT OPFICE:
ROOM 821 FEDERAL SUILDINO
MIAMI, FLORIDA 33130
309-330.5569
Your letter regarding conversion of the present Naval
Reserve Center in Coconut Grove has been received.
Congressional courtesy requires that I forward your
communication to my colleague, Congressman Dante Fasceli, who
represents the 15th Congressional District in which the facility
is located. I shall be happy to join him in any action he may
want to take with regard to your recommendations.
Kindest regards, and
Very truly yours,
aeilc� � 7�
Claude Pepper
Member of Congress
Copy to:
Congressman Dante Fascell
904 Federal Office Building
51 SW 1st Avenue
Miami, FL 33130
Enclosures
WELCOME to the Art Center. We hope you come often to visit and watch the more than 225 artists and craftsmen
who work in the variety of media you see on the maps below.
A waterfront building once used for the manufacture of torpedoes during World Wars I and II, has been turned into
an Art Center by the City of Alexandria.
UNDER RENOVATION MAY --DEC, 1982
TT PRIM \tAA1NG
FIBERS FIBER AR1S
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VIOLIN CABINET HARPSICHORD
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MAKERS
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UNION SIREIT
THE TORPEDO FACTORY ARTS CENTER
King and Union Streets, Old Town
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Telephone: (703) 836-8564
The Center is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. seven days a week, but individual artists
come and go at will as many must have other employment.
SALES
Works may be purchased directly from artists if in their studios, or messages
can be left at the Information Desk for future purchases.
POTTERY E ENAMEliSIS
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INiO OPEN �twELR'
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p PptTERY i
FIRST FLOOR
CITY PRINT SHOP
OPEN
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PAtNTINC; ART I EACUE SCHOOL
SECOND FLOOR
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OPEN
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Each of the four tuned -show galleries has a volunteer sales staff..1V1tL4RtVftyt
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35
ART CEN1ER
BRIEF HISTORY & DESCRIPTION
The Torpedo Factory was proposed by the Alexandria Bicentennial Commission to the Alexandria
City Council in December, 1973, as a three year, self-supporting, tourist attraction experiment to open
on the City's 225th birthday, July 13, 1974.
1 he Bicentennial asked Council to appropriate $140,000 for minimal renovation bf the block -long,
two-story building. On the basis of rental agreements with numerous artists, the Bicentennial was able to
prove there was a demand for studio space at $3. a square foot a year (including utilities) and that the
rental income would repay the initial loan over a three year period and also pay the annual maintenance
of $90,000 per year. On this basis, the project was approved unanimously and with bipartisan support of
the City Council,
In May 1974, artist volunteers began painting the interior of the building —changing dirty Govern-
ment grey to antique white. A giant ceremonial opening party was possible by July 13. The building was
then closed for construction of eight foot partition walls, exterior painting, and installation of additional
utilities. By September the work was largely done and artists moved into their studios.
The artists decorated and painted their own work areas and the surrounding public areas. (Artists
have invested about $400,000 in money and labor in the building). To this day the artists volunteer for
semi-annual paint and clean-up days to renew the public spaces of the Center. A talented graphics
designer was appointed design czar and developed a logo, signs, publications and super graphics.
A system of doors and windows allows the public to view working artists in need of privacy for con-
centration for a while; otherwise, the artists welcome the public to cone in and see the art in progress.
All work displayed is made in the studio in order to maintain the working studio concept. Studios are
varied; individual spaces, large rooms with several artists in distinctly separate studios, or workshops
with many artists sharing common space and equipment.
The demand for this space has been enormous. Since the September 1974 opening of the Center, a
quarterly jury is held to review the work of the more than 425 applicants for studios each year.
The Center's approximately 225 artists occupy 96 studios. There are a wealth of media represented:
painters, potters, printers, photographers, stained glass workers, jewelers, and assorted others, including
a harpsicord maker and violinmaker. To make sales, artists must have business licenses, but no commis-
sion is charged by the Center. Rental fees have gone up to a range of from $3.15 per square foot per year
to $4.40 and tl:�,; still pays all maintenance, salaries of the city employees and utilities and allows a
surplus of some $30,000 returned to the City's general funds.
The four galleries represent a total of nearly 1,500 artists run by five non-profit organizations of ar
tists and present only juried shows. In addition, there is a 550 student art school offering day and even-
ing classes operated by the Art League, Inc., a non-profit artist organization.
The Torpedo Factory has proven itself a formidable tourist attraction with monthly crowds averag
ing 45,000. School tours and foreign visitors alike have been drawn in large numbers to the Art Center.
The artists are proud of the part they play in the cultural enrichment of the area. The Alexandria City
Schools hold their annual Art Show here and an Arts Education in the Schools Program is underway.
This is your community Art Center, we hope you enjoy your visit and will return often.
' '1GER A.IL. AVM.