Rendering via Artspace.org
The Artspace El Paso Lofts, a downtown El Paso building designed for low-income artists, is expected to be completed in mid-November, reports KFOX14. When it is finished, the building will have three three-bedroom apartments, 16 two-bedroom apartments and 33 one-bedroom apartments. “The rent will range based on your income level,” says Eric Pearson, president and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. “So they range from about $250 for a one-bedroom unit all the way up to $800 or something for a three-bedroom unit.”
Artspace, the organization behind the project, was established in 1979 to serve as an advocate for artists’ space needs, but within a decade also became a developer. The first spaces were mainly in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, but they have since expanded into 20 states, including two buildings in Texas. The National Hotel Artist Lofts in Galveston opened in 2001 and the Elder Street Artist Lofts in Houston opened in 2005.
The apartments are designed to be artist-friendly. They feature an open-style layout to allow plenty of room for studio space, high ceilings, lots of windows, and polished concrete floors. On the ground floor, there is also a gallery that will be available for the renters to use for art shows.
Applications will be released on August 15 and Artspace will begin accepting them on September 1.
