With work scheduled to begin on Tuesday, December 1, to transform the 75-year-old former Princeton Junction firehouse on Alexander Road into its new home, the West Windsor Arts Council is launching its capital campaign – “Home Is Where the Art Is!” to raise the remainder of the funds needed to complete the project.
During a “Call to Service” meeting at the senior center on November 19, the council’s executive director Eduardo Garcia presented architectural floor renderings and a model depicting the first phase of the project, which includes a 125-seat performance space, an education space for classes, and a community meeting room-lobby-cafe‚ with Wi-Fi access. Members of the Arts Council also met with community volunteers looking to be part of ongoing task forces working to plan art classes, performances, and operations in the new community arts center.
The township awarded a contract for $685,00 to Dell-Tech Inc. of Trenton, in October to perform the renovation work necessary to bring the building into code compliance, including plumbing, electrical, and other work. The remainder of the work in outfitting the facility for the first phase will be funded by the West Windsor Arts Council, which has a fundraising target of $300,000. During the meeting, the council announced it had raised $150,000 so far, mostly through corporate and business donations.
Officials are targeting July, 2010, for the opening of the new facility. “While that is our goal, anything can happen between now and then that can delay it,” said Garcia. The renovation work being done by Dell-Tech is expected to take six months, and the work to be performed by the arts council is expected to take two months.
Projected costs to convert the area for the performing arts space is $150,000. “The space is designed to accommodate a variety of performing and literary arts events as well as lectures, films, and open mic series for local artists and other cultural events,” states the campaign brochure. “Because of the flexible stage design, seating can be adapted to the type of event being presented. Because of the historic nature of the building, the tin ceiling obscured for years under acoustical tile will be refurbished.” Other equipment purchases include a lightning and sound system, curtains to delineate the performance area, and stackable chairs for the audience.
Work on the classrooms, expected to be outfitted with easels, chairs, drawing tables, storage areas, and a special arts sink. Signage and landscaping is expected to cost $25,000. Work to the community meeting room, lobby, caf‚, and arts council offices is estimated to be $60,000, and projected costs for programming, fundraising, and professional fees is estimated to be $65,000.
The second phase of construction, which arts council members said would not be contemplated until after the first phase is completed, will convert the fire truck bays into a major exhibit area/gallery with artists’ studios and instructional rooms. That area is still being use by the fire company, including for storage of hazmat equipment.
The building itself has been a staple of the community since it was built in 1931. It served as a hub for community events, like roast beef dinners, carnivals, a reception area for weddings, and the venue for teen discos in the 1970s, which is why the arts council wants to preserve as much of the building’s history as possible, including the Princeton Junction Firehouse signage on the outside of the building, said Ruth Kusner Potts, chair of the capital campaign and the arts council’s treasurer. “The firehouse has a lot of meaning,” she said. A War of the Worlds Mural – similar to the logo on the Princeton Junction fire trucks – is located in what will be the future gallery. “We have to figure out how to preserve it when we get there, because that’s phase two,” Potts said.
Fore more information about how to volunteer or donate, call 609-919-1982, or log on to www.westwindsorarts.org.
