Galapagos Art Space of Brooklyn Will Make Detroit Its Home - NY Times Reports

[Lowell]

Galapagos now has a Galapagos Detroit website with more details.

http://www.galapagosdetroit.com/

Includes a hefty slap in the face as to how the NY real estate craziness is killing the arts...

WHY IS GALAPAGOS MOVING TO DETROIT?

Simply put, New York City has become too expensive to continue incubating young artists. The white-hot real estate market burning through affordable cultural habit is no longer a crisis, it's a conclusion.

You can’t paint at night in your kitchen and hope to be a good artist. It doesn’t work that way.

The canaries in New York City's real estate gold mine and the basis population of its creative ecosystem - its young artists and thinkers - are no longer talking about the next show they hope to land. They’re talking about the next city they can land in once their current lease runs out.

Decades ago I contemplated moving the NYC to do my art there. Many Detroit artists of the old Cass Corridor art scene had done so mostly moving to Tribeca, then a still moderately-priced place [by NY standards not Detroit] and still on Manhattan.

What I found was what was described above - they were all scuffling with low-paying jobs to pay the rent on some fleabag accommodation that could they could be squeezed out of by some developer at any minute. I came back to the D where I lived [and later bought] in a sumptuous house for next to nothing and worked a good paying part time job and had plenty of time to paint.

[dtowncitylover]

I've said it before and I'll say it again , Detroit has been on NYC's radar for a while and now the words getting out .
I see it first hand at my job , I literally come in contact with New Yorkers at least about 5 times a month and not just visiting, they are looking for places to live .

What's funny is how full circle this is coming. Remember, New Yorkers were some of the first inhabitants of the landscape in SE Michigan. Clinton Twp, Troy, Rochester, Utica, Clarkston, Auburn Hills are all testament to this. Now we have a new migration of New Yorkers coming in. And what came after the New York migration? The foreign migration. I'm just saying...

[Mackinaw]

While I agree that there are tons of NYC-Detroit connections and affinities [[my own family sort of embodies that), and I think I may have missed the page in the history books that you're referencing [[didn't know there was any unique NY to Detroit migratory pattern in history, or that it influences suburban town names).

[Lowell]

Another intriguing quote from the Galapagos Detroit site....

YOUNG ARTISTS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE GIVING UP ON NEW YORK CITY.

Instead, they're bouncing off the perceived costs of living here and traveling only as far as the urban density of their regional capitals. Cities like Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chapel Hill, Austin, Nashville and Philadelphia - all great cities in their own right - are not the national mixing chamber that New York City has been.

We think Detroit can be that place.

THE THREE INGREDIENTS ANY CITY NEEDS:

To flourish, a well functioning creative ecosystem needs three things in abundance; time, space and people. Arguably, New York City has people but they no longer have time or space. Detroit has time and space and is gaining its critical third component - artists - at an astonishing rate.

In the end only one-thing matters: good artists and the best young thinkers follow ideas, and ideas flourish only when there is opportunity to realize them.

[Gistok]

Thanks for all the interesting posts Lowell.... I, probably like yourself, would have loved to have seen this work in the Michigan Building.

Sadly though much of that corner of downtown has been decimated by razing much of the remaining building stock NW of the Michigan Building, where arts district would have been an amazing use of empty buildings. But thanks to 1/2 century of decimation, followed by the Ilitch buy-and-raze property mentality, there's mainly a sea of gravel parking lots NW of that location.

I hope for the success of this project, just like I hope for the success of the Fisher Plant turned German Techno club. But I do worry about the task of coaxing folks to venture that far out from the downtown/midtown area. I look at the struggles that the Detroit Theatre Organ Society [[DTOS) has had in getting people to venture to the Senate Theatre on Michigan Ave.

I hope for the best...

[animatedmartian]

While I agree that there are tons of NYC-Detroit connections and affinities [[my own family sort of embodies that), and I think I may have missed the page in the history books that you're referencing [[didn't know there was any unique NY to Detroit migratory pattern in history, or that it influences suburban town names).

It was when immigration first started in Detroit in the early 1800s.

The first census taken by the Territory of Michigan, on October 1, 1805, showed 525 heads of families at Detroit, and 667 males over sixteen years of age. About this time emigration from the Eastern States began, but the "Bostonians," as they were called, were not at first made welcome by either French or English.

...

To say nothing of those who have arrived by land, and through Lake Erie by sail vessel, the following steamboats arrived here within the last week. The Enterprise, with 250 passengers ; the Win. Penn, 150; the Ohio, 350; the Henry Clay, 480; the Superior, 550; the Sheldon Thompson, 200; and the Niagara, 200: amounting to more than 2,000, and nearly all in the prime of life ; mostly heads of families who have come for the purpose of purchasing land and settling in Michigan.

...

The larger part of these immigrants were from New York, and the rest mostly from New England. It is probable that, in proportion to its population, Detroit, and in fact the entire State of Michigan, has a larger percentage of New York and New England people than any other western city or State. At one time it seemed as though all New England was coming. The emigration fever pervaded almost every hamlet of New England...

http://www.google.com/books?id=2dtMHBxD6R8C&pg=PA335#v=onepage&q&f=false

And eventually these East Coasters transitioned mostly into foreign-born immigrants by 1880 though with a good number of them still coming from New York state. Technically, it's not too unique since most Midwestern cities have had some amount of emigrants from the East Coast during the same time period, but either way they had their influence on the growth and makeup of the city.

[Det_ard]

From the GalapogosDetroit website, it sounds like they claim self-sufficiency with respect to on-going operations only, not the costly initial rehab or renovation. They also envision a "partnership" with local governments and foundations to create the space [[ I assume that means tax breaks, foundation grants and other forms of "free money'.)

They also wish to have enough surrounding real estate that, should their arts facility result in, for lack of a better word, the "gentrification" of the surrounding area, the artists and the art facility's "partners" stand to benefit financially and not get priced out of a revitilizing area.

On another page, they talk about seeking partners for building the non-art facility aspects of the overall projects [[residential and lofts).

So, while I like the sound of a NYC group coming to Detroit to do their thing, and the project sounds great, they will be going around to foundations and local government for multi-million dollar investments to get their project off the ground. I don't know that they have the funds themselves to pull this off, or if they do, that they are willing to spend them to that end.

A New Model For Funding The Arts:

This project seeks to reposition and stabilize the cultural business model by linking its success to the increased real estate values that the presence of artists and cultural organizations catalyzes over and over again.
Put another way: The arts are already in the real estate business - they just aren’t being rewarded for it.

The business model used by the arts – a near total reliance on philanthropy and government to fund infrastructure and operations – is unsustainable and leads time and again to chronic under-performance and instability in the sector.
Yet there really shouldn't be a shortage of equity to support the arts; more often than not they're responsible for the tremendous growth in the real estate values and the resulting civic tax bases that surround them.
In Detroit, we want to prove a new model for funding the arts. By making founding partners out of the cultural organizations creating change and the local governments working to grow their creative-based economies - and the essential foundation community - we believe we can do that.
When we first began looking at Detroit and Highland Park two and a half years ago, the challenge for us was to find a meaningful density of real estate that can be protected over time, ensuring that the artists benefit from the value they create by their presence and activity, and that they aren’t simply priced out of the real estate because of their own efforts.
HOW DO WE FUND GALAPAGOS?

We operate - and we always have - on 100% earned income. We make every dollar we spend. Galapagos does not accept government grants or public funding of any kind to operate our venue. Instead, we believe that if the work we present is strong, communicative, and effective, that audiences will support us.
Since opening in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 1995 - and despite a few bumps along the way - we’ve proved that a cultural venue operating an independent, evolved business model geared toward supporting the performing arts can flourish.
Government and Foundation support:

The vital role government and foundation support plays in creating venues of opportunity in the arts is clear. The reasons why they do it are also clear; we build cities and communities by working together and governments and foundations are uniquely tasked with doing this work.
Galapagos believes that once an audience-based venue is up and running that it has a responsibility to operate a stable, effective business model strong enough to operate independently. Not only is this good for the venue, it lets the foundation and government communities move forward and refocus their energy and limited means on other worthy projects.
As leaders in the cultural community we can’t be placeholders, bystanders in the midst of what others before us have built. We have to lead.
Moving the arts and culture away from the tin-cup mentality that has defined them for so long is an important focus for us as we begin our work in Detroit and Highland Park.
Artists deserve independence and stability. We want to help build that.

[downtownguy]

Thanks for all the interesting posts Lowell.... I, probably like yourself, would have loved to have seen this work in the Michigan Building.

Sadly though much of that corner of downtown has been decimated by razing much of the remaining building stock NW of the Michigan Building, where arts district would have been an amazing use of empty buildings. But thanks to 1/2 century of decimation, followed by the Ilitch buy-and-raze property mentality, there's mainly a sea of gravel parking lots NW of that location.

I hope for the success of this project, just like I hope for the success of the Fisher Plant turned German Techno club. But I do worry about the task of coaxing folks to venture that far out from the downtown/midtown area. I look at the struggles that the Detroit Theatre Organ Society [[DTOS) has had in getting people to venture to the Senate Theatre on Michigan Ave.

I hope for the best...

When I first moved downtown in 1981, I used to say that the day I could walk from downtown to the New Center without fearing for my life, then the city was definitely coming back. The scuzzy areas have, for the most part, disappeared and it is no longer so easy to see the borders between, downtown, midtown and the New Center.

I think the same could be said for Michigan Avenue. Although walking to Tiger Stadium back then never gave me pause [[paws?), going beyond Tiger Stadium was frightful. Now, with the development of the area around Slow's, Michigan Avenue is almost there. When you consider the proximity of that entertainment district to the Galapagos Corktown location, it's really not off the beaten track. With a little luck the train station finally gets developed, and you have a relatively contiguous area of attractive development from the CBD to the edge of Mexican Town.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Some more information on the properties that they are buying.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...hools.php#more

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Wells D. Butterfield. Highland Park High School 171 Glendale built in 1914 Highland Park, MI. Includes an image of the building from a 1916 issue of the Western Architect.

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Wells D. Butterfield. George W. Ferris School 60 Cortland built in 1911 Highland Park, MI.

Extensively altered.
Image from Motor City Mapping.

[p69rrh51]

Designed by John Scott & Company. Saint Luke's Hospital and Children's Home. 224 Highland Avenue built in 1918 Highland Park, MI. Includes an article featuring the building from a 1917 issue of the Detroit Free Press.

Image from Motor City Mapping.

[bust]

I'd love an update on this. Anyone?

[casscorridor]

I'd love an update on this. Anyone?

Did anyone ever really expect this to happen? It wasn't an important institution in New York and clearly shut down because of financial reasons. There is no reason to believe they would actually renovate multiple buildings in both Corktown and Highland Park. Facilities are hugely expensive to run. I understand they had a profit-seeking model by renting their buildings out for events, studios and so on. But still... we have yet to see anything.

[bust]

Did anyone ever really expect this to happen? It wasn't an important institution in New York and clearly shut down because of financial reasons. There is no reason to believe they would actually renovate multiple buildings in both Corktown and Highland Park. Facilities are hugely expensive to run. I understand they had a profit-seeking model by renting their buildings out for events, studios and so on. But still... we have yet to see anything.

I agree the properties in Highland Park seemed an enormous stretch. But I expected something great with the property near Corktown. It seems like a much better location and a more manageable size for them there. It would be a shame if this ends up nothing more than a real estate transaction.

I wouldn't say Galapagos was an unimportant institution in NY. They had nowhere the resources of the museums and big name galleries -- they didn't cater to a roster of corporate patrons -- that's true. But they played an important part in local art and culture, and for a relatively long time. And depending on your perspective grass roots respect from local creators is more important than big bucks from schmucks.

Also, I don't know the circumstances, but I wouldn't hold it against them if they didn't want to downsize as much as would have been necessary to have avoided getting priced out of New York. It has happened to many of the best of them. On the contrary, it would be a badge of honor if they relocated from NY to Detroit to stay true to their mission.

I just hope they do.

[Shai_Hulud]

Now that I've found the search function...

There's a lot of information and commentary from one of the owners in this post.

It seems the official story is that this is still happening.

[Lowell]

I recall somewhere, discussed here but too lazy to find it, that Galapagos was trying to flip that building for something ridiculous, like six million. If Ford does buy Michigan Central, Galapagos may hit a jackpot yet, but I still think six mil is pie in the sky.

[bust]

Has anything good ever come of this?

All I know is Robert Elmes did manage to flip the property across the tracks from MCS. Hella good for him-- he got [some of] Dan Gilbert's bucks.
What I meant to ask: has anything good ever come of this for Highland Park or Detroit?
If not, what a let down.

Does Elmes even live in the Detroit area anymore?
As you can see above in this thread, I was optimistic about what he could do for Detroit.
A few years later I wouldn't be surprised if after flipping that property he left for somewhere else.

Anyone with any update, please let us know.

[Satiricalivory]

He's a piece of shit lying slumlord who never intended on doing any development that wasn't mostly paid for with public money. He used to post on the curbed articles about him, nothing but lies.

He made millions on that sale to Gilbert, I doubt he's spent a single penny of it on the Highland Park property. HP should just take it from him at this point.

[Gistok]

^ Guess again.... he's no slumlord with what he did with the money.


I have a feeling that Robert Elmes is out of the Art Gallery business, but into philanthropy... he must have gotten several million dollars for the sale of his building. Check out his Facebook page... June 7...

https://www.facebook.com/robert.elmes

"$2.7m
Recently my wife, Philippa Kaye, and I donated to a fund that enabled us to purchase and eliminate all of the long term medical debt [[that we could find) for the entire city of Highland Park, Michgan, and parts of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan.

$1,003,786:
This one time purchase of $1,003,786 of medical debt benefits 1,407 Highland Park residents, just over 13% of the population of the city.

Look for a yellow envelope in the mail. You no longer owe this money. It’s paid. Keep the letter for your records - it’s the proof of purchase.

$1,677,661:
Our donation was also able to eliminate an additional $1,677,661 of medical debt in other parts of Wayne County, equaling approximately 10% of the Wayne County debt that we and our partner could find.

Why did we do this? There are two reasons:
Running an arts organization is not a lucrative career choice but we’ve recently been a bit lucky. Since I’ve been crushed by debt before and know it feels terrible, and because our family has had health issues that are thankfully behind us, we understood the benefits of doing this."

[Gistok]

Why did Robert Elmes do this very generous thing for the people of Highland Park, Detroit and Wayne County?

His young son had leukemia, and eventually beat it. The parents were probably so thankful that they decided to help others out with crushing medical debt, and the stress that accompanies it. God bless them.

We may not get an arts center... but thousands in Wayne County's poorest were given a gift that may change their lives.

[bust]

^ Gistok,

Wow, and thanks for copying the details here. I don't see them on Facebook without an account.

I never thought Elmes was a slumlord. That denotes tenants.

But I also never expected he'd do something so generous.

With a tiny fraction of Detroit billionaire money I wonder, has he done more for charity than has been done with the rest of those billions combined?

That's better than good. That's great.

[Gistok]

^Bust,

That image of their son is from 2015. So they must have spent several years dealing with the health issues of their son. So for Elmes, the time consuming process of starting another Art center was put on hold, and then came their good fortune on selling the property, and then the pandemic.

So this chronology is probably why we've heard nothing about him in quite a few years.

His son is healthy again, and they did so much good for so many in Wayne County.

[Satiricalivory]

Why did we do this? There are two reasons:
Running an arts organization is not a lucrative career choice but we’ve recently been a bit lucky. Since I’ve been crushed by debt before and know it feels terrible, and because our family has had health issues that are thankfully behind us, we understood the benefits of doing this."

Huh, how was something like this never reported on? That money came from Detroit, so if he didn't spend some of it on the area somehow that would be pretty shitty of him.

This is great and all, but he still owns a prominent decaying building he clearly has no hope of redeveloping. He claimed that he was going to use the funds to fix up the high school and that clearly never happened. So he's still a liar and he should sell it.

[Satiricalivory]

I never thought Elmes was a slumlord. That denotes tenants.

Speculator, slumlord, whatever. The idea is the same. The person sat on rotting blighted properties and profited greatly doing absolutely nothing but sitting on them.