In the late 1990s, Santa Cruz was a highly desirable tourist destination with a strong arts and culture community. But as the housing costs increased, few young artists could afford to stay.In 2001, Ceil Cirillo, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency persuaded civic leaders to approve the plan to transform Salz Tannery into an arts complex to anchor and preserve Santa Cruz's strong cultural identity well into the future.
Today, Artspace Tannery Lofts provides 100 units of affordable live/work space in two separate buildings, for artists and their families, a mile from downtown Santa Cruz. The lofts are a part of the larger Tannery Arts Campus, which is comprised of the Lofts, the Digital Media and Creative Arts Center, and the Colligan Theater, all sitting on 8.3-acres along the bank of the San Lorenzo River.
