ARTHOUSE PLANS $6 MILLION RENOVATION

Plans unveiled for historic Congress Avenue building

Design uses existing building, adds contemporary features and functions for arts organization.

By Jeanne Claire van Ryzin
AMERICAN-STATESMAN ARTS WRITER
Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A fresh and innovative renovation that will add a new layer to a many-layered historical downtown building will be unveiled at a news conference today announcing Arthouse's $6 million renovation plans for its 14,000-square-foot building at 700 Congress Ave., known as the Jones Center.

Designed by the New York architecture firm Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis, the renovation will triple the usable space for the contemporary art nonprofit organization by adding three galleries, two artists' studios, a 90-seat multimedia screening room and a 5,500-square-foot rooftop open-air space with a 17-by-33-foot movie screen. Arthouse now uses only the first floor of the 14,000-square-foot, two-story building for its changing exhibitions and offices.

The organization is also beginning a $6.6 million capital campaign, of which more than $3.3 million has already been raised from Arthouse board members and other supporters. The money raised will be used for the renovation and to establish endowments.

"The building has a rich history," said architect Paul Lewis. "We're taking the trajectory of that history and adding to it."

A three-story brick building occupied the site northwest of Congress Avenue and Seventh Street during the 1800s. The existing structure was built in 1920 as the Queen Theater, then radically changed in 1956 when it became a Lerner Shops department store. Arthouse has occupied the building since 1998, after purchasing it in 1995 for $375,000. The organization, which has an $800,000 annual budget, paid off the mortgage in 2002.

The current plans call for renovations to the building's facade and interior spaces. The majority of the building's exterior will be perforated by more than 160 laminated glass blocks designed to let light into windowless interior areas such as offices. At street level, the current floor-to-ceiling glass windows and awning — both added when the building was converted to a department store — will be enlarged, and a dramatic new lobby and entrance will be located on Congress Avenue. The new awning will be able to suspend artwork and will contain audio speakers.

The original second-floor department store display window will be expanded to accommodate rear-screen projections that will be visible from the street at night. Inside, a new staircase and a pair of elevators will connect the two floors and the rooftop space, which will feature a deck of ipê wood panels interlaced with illuminated glass panels.

Arthouse leaders praised the architects' design, saying it captured the organization's advocacy for contemporary art and new creative initiatives.

"We're confident that their unconventional use of materials and form will strengthen further the public presence of the Jones Center and provide visitors with a greater capacity to experience contemporary art," Arthouse Executive Director Sue Graze said .

Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis has earned a reputation for creating innovative small spaces, including the galleries it renovated for the Van Alen Institute, a New York nonprofit architecture organization. The firm received the 2007 National Design Award for Interior Architecture from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Mayor Will Wynn, in a written statement, called the design "pure creative genius."

"(The architects') layering of history and newly created spaces within Arthouse's Jones Center make it one of the most amazing pieces of architecture in Austin," he said.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2009 and end in 2010.

Arthouse, formerly the Texas Fine Arts Association, was founded in 1911 and is the oldest contemporary visual arts organization in the state. The organization presents seven exhibits annually.

jvanryzin@statesman.com; 445-3699