Artspace Hamilton Lofts and Resident Gallery

Artspace Hamilton Lofts, an adaptive reuse of the former Strauss Department Store, will offer forty-two affordable live/work apartments, gallery and community space, and 3,000+ square feet of commercial space. The $11 million development will contribute to the revitalization efforts of Hamilton, OH, bringing residents downtown and creating space for the rising arts scene. While Artspace Hamilton Lofts is in the early stage of development, strategic partnerships with the City of Hamilton, the Hamilton Community Foundation, the Vision Commission, and the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, as well as local community support, continue to advance the project. The City of Hamilton, on the northern edge of the Cincinnati metro area, began using the arts for civic improvement in 1993, when the Fitton Center for the Creative Arts opened on the bank of the Great Miami River. In 2000, Ohio’s governor proclaimed Hamilton the “City of Sculpture” in recognition of the community’s large and growing collection of public sculpture.

More recently, the City invited Artspace to develop a mixed-use arts project on downtown Hamilton’s main street. The project will rehabilitate two historic buildings, a 1900 French Renaissance masterpiece originally known as the Mehrum Building, and its next-door neighbor, the 1913 Lindley Block. A 1970s remodel covered the original storefronts with a metal screen that will be removed as part of the renovation, thereby restoring these century-old edifices to their original appearance. Screen removal is planned for March 2013 - check back for details!

This exciting new project will create affordable live/work units for artists, plus creative commercial space for arts groups and arts-related businesses. More than that, it will give new impetus to the community’s impressive drive to reinvent downtown Hamilton as an arts district.