GRUBB PROPERTIES SELECTED TO DEVELOP MIXED-USE RALEIGH HEADQUARTERS FOR CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
20,000 sq. ft. warehouse redevelopment expected to include mix of residential, retail, office space
Charlotte, NC – January 30, 2006 – Grubb Properties, the North Carolina real estate firm known for its expertise in high-profile urban mixed-use environments, today announced its selection by the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh (CAM) to redevelop a 0.57 acre site and 20,000 square foot warehouse owned by CAM into a permanent home for the museum. The site, in Raleigh’s emerging warehouse district, will likely include residential, retail and/or office space components integrated into the museum setting. Final designs will be prepared following a three-day planning charrette in February to solicit early-stage community input into the vision for the project. The charrette will be conducted by Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh, PA, a nationally recognized design firm specializing in urban and mixed-use projects.
Grubb Properties, with a current managed portfolio of nearly 2000 apartment residences and one million square feet of office and retail space, has become recognized primarily for two large-scale mixed-use projects in Charlotte:
§ Morrison, a 24-acre shopping, dining and residential neighborhood in the heart of Charlotte’s upscale SouthPark shopping district; and
§ Elizabeth Avenue, a five-block revitalization project along Charlotte’s planned streetcar line – just blocks from the city center, the district will feature the city’s first Whole Foods Market and an assortment of shopping, dining, entertainment, office space and upscale multifamily residences.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this project,” Clay Grubb, president of Grubb Properties, said. “The Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) has a distinguished history and an important role in Raleigh and in the state of North Carolina. They help ensure an ongoing appreciation for contemporary art, and they provide much-needed access to modern artistic expression alongside the spectrum of cultural and creative offerings available to the community. Both of those contributions are essential components of social and economic well-being.”
“This is also the perfect opportunity to bring our urban mixed-use experience into the market. We’ve developed and managed office, retail and residential properties in the Triangle for some time now and are committed to the community – but frankly, we’re not all that well-known here. CAM has been wonderful to work with, and we’re looking forward to upcoming stakeholder input sessions to gain even more insight into making this a dynamic, visible anchor in Raleigh’s vibrant urban lifestyle.”
The CAM property, at 409 West Martin Street, is one block from the proposed Triangle Transit Center. Preliminary design discussions include two full levels, soaring interior space and two adjacent parking lots - as well as a short list of key functional components such as: both large and intimate gallery spaces; classrooms to serve teachers, students and school partnerships; and new technology as both an art form and educational tool.
“This museum will be a dynamic environment for encouraging and inspiring creativity,” Rhonda Peters, executive director of the Contemporary Art Museum, said. “We chose Grubb not only for their development expertise in these types of projects, but also for their demonstrated sensitivity to the importance of public art in a community’s intellectual, cultural and economic life.”
Based upon patterns seen here and in other cities, Grubb and CAM envision this project as yet another cornerstone for a wave of additional economic development in Raleigh’s slowly emerging warehouse district.
In a related point, in February 2006 a new relationship begins between the Contemporary Art Museum and NC State University’s College of Design. The Contemporary Art Museum becomes an initiative of the College of Design under the College’s “Art + Design in the Community Initiative”. This affiliation combines the powerful exhibitions presented by CAM with the educational expertise of the University to create a transformational museum experience.
“The Contemporary Art Museum is a tangible expression of the importance of creativity in our society,” Marvin Malecha, dean of NCSU’s College of Design, said. “This is a meshing of sympathetic missions. Both entities encourage creativity and community engagement through art and design. It is a further expansion of our ability to get beyond the boundaries of the traditional university.”
About Grubb Properties
Grubb Properties was founded in 1963 in Lexington, NC. After an initial focus on building, financing and selling affordable homes to low-income families, the company has grown to become one of North Carolina’s premier real estate firms with integrated expertise in residential, commercial and mixed-use development, acquisition, financing, construction, property management, sales and leasing. Grubb Properties now has approximately 119 employees and oversees a portfolio of roughly 2,000 apartment homes and nearly one million square feet of office and retail space. The company is headquartered in Charlotte and maintains regional offices in Cary and Lexington, North Carolina. For additional information about Grubb Properties visit www.grubbproperties.com.
About The Contemporary Art Museum
The Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) was established in 1983 as the City Gallery of Contemporary Art to address a gap, identified by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, in the area’s cultural community. CAM has a long and distinguished history of presenting important exhibitions representing both national and international artists. CAM’s mission is to present contemporary art and design in order to explore the role of creativity in everyday life and to inspire understanding and appreciation of our changing world. CAM’s facility will address its role as an urban cultural center, a downtown meeting place, a catalyst for change, and vital element in the region’s urban renaissance. Its exhibitions will explore the intersections of art with every aspect of life to motivate the creativity that gives each of us our competitive edge.For additional information about the Contemporary Arts Museum, visit www.camnc.org.
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Posted: February 01, 2006 - News | More News
