Artspace - Building Better Communities Through The Arts 

When Elgin Community College announced plans to construct a new campus on the edge of town, the City of Elgin decided to convert the college’s old facilty, an historic downtown building formerly occupied by a Sears and Roebuck store, into an arts facility. The City invited Artspace to develop the project.

Elgin Artspace Lofts, a $14.5 million mixed-use project scheduled for construction in 2011 and completion the following summer, will create 55 units of affordable live/work space for artists and their families, plus 6,000 square feet of retail and community space for arts-friendly businesses and nonprofit organizations. The design will renovate the historic Sears structure and link it to a new three-story new addition.

Elgin civic leaders believe that permanently affordable space for artists will strengthen an emerging arts and culture cluster in downtown Elgin, serve as a catalyst for continued downtown development, bring vibrancy and activity to the street, and increase the number of individuals and families living and working downtown.