ABOUT US
Cultivating affordable creative community since 1980.
Artspace is a nonprofit developer founded by artists in need of affordable space to both live and work. Our mixed-use projects incorporate affordable housing and commercial spaces such as artist studios, galleries, and offices for nonprofits and small retail shops.
Our Mission
Artspace creates affordable live and work space for artists, cultural organizations, nonprofits and others to revitalize and promote stable, vibrant and safe communities.
Our History
Since founded, Artspace has developed seven affordable mixed-use projects that provide 278 housing units and over 125,000 square feet of commercial space.
Artspace completed our first project in 1983, converting the 80,000 square foot Eccles Browning Warehouse on Pierpont Avenue into an affordable mixed-use space. Along with housing, the Pierpont project offered artist studios, office space, and retail shops. Artspace had a 25-year lease on Pierpont that expired in February 2008. Instead of leasing, Artspace now owns all its buildings.
Artspace Staff
Jessica Norie
President
Cindy Franke
Deputy Director
Annastasia Kaessner
Director of Asset Management
Lindsay Northrop
Marketing and Communications Director
Elizabeth Evensen
Chair
John Milliken
Secretary / Treasurer
Kathie Miller
Executive Committee
Jennifer Speers
Executive Committee
Elizabeth Brereton
AES Energy
Kim Hannay
Optum Bank
Wendy Leonelli
J. Fisher Companies
Alison Ptak
American Express
Robert Lake
Ira Rubinfeld
Paula Sandlian
U.S. Bank
Artspace Board of Trustees
Staff
Jessica Norie | President
Cindy Franke | Deputy Director
Annastasia Kaessner | Dir. of Asset Management
Lindsay Northrop | Marketing & Communications Dir.
Board of Directors
Elizabeth Evensen, Snell & Wilmer | Chair
John Milliken | Secretary/Treasurer
Kathie Miller | Executive Committee
Jennifer Speers | Executive Committee
Elizabeth Brereton | AES Energy Corporation
Robert Lake
Wendy Leonelli | J. Fisher Companies
Alison Ptak | American Express
Ira Rubinfeld
Paula Sandlian | U.S. Bank
1995 | Rubber Company
Artspace completed our second project in 1995, turning the California Tire and Rubber Company Building warehouse into 53 residential units plus 10,000 square feet of commercial space. This warehouse was originally constructed in 1915 as a cold storage warehouse and now provides affordable housing, space for small businesses, and a community garden. Rubber Company won the 1997 Award of Excellence from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
2001 | Bridge Projects
Artspace completed our first new construction project, Artspace Bridge Projects, in 2001. This building has 62 units of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) housing and 20,000 square feet of commercial space that includes a bookstore and cafe, retail space, and offices for nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Bridge Projects won a 2002 American Institute of Architects Utah Merit Award.
2006 | City Center
Artspace opened Artspace City Center in 2006, utilizing equity from Federal and State Historic Tax Credits (HTC) and New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC). This historic building was the original ZCMI warehouse, built in 1905. Trains pulled in to the building on an interior track bisecting the warehouse, which is now an interior courtyard with skylights. Artspace revitalized this 62,000 square foot warehouse and turned it into 18 affordable artist live/work townhouses and over 20,000 square feet of commercial space. City Center won the 2006 Outstanding Achievement Award from Utah State History.
2010 | Commons
Artspace purchased the former Utah Barrel and Scrap site in 2007. Artspace Commons, our largest project to date, was financed with equity from New Market Tax Credits. This project includes 102 units of affordable apartments and 50,000 square feet of commercial space. This 3.67 acre property was a scrap metal recycling and storage lot in Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency's Granary District. Artspace cleaned up this designated brownfield through the Utah Department of Environmental Quality's Voluntary Cleanup Program, and then used the site to build Artspace Commons, Utah's first mixed-use Gold LEED certified affordable housing project, and Artspace Solar Gardens. This effort earned Artspace a 2009 Pollution Prevention Award from the Utah Pollution Prevention Association. Commons won the 2011 Envision Utah Governor's Quality Growth Award based on its creativity, community spirit, and market savvy.
2013 | Solar Gardens
Artspace completed construction of Artspace Solar Gardens in 2013, a mixed-use building with community gardens and on-site solar power production. The project, which was financed with both NMTCs and Renewable Energy Tax Credits, has 10,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and 30 affordable residential units. By installing enough solar photovoltaic panels to generate power for the entire building, this building is the first net-zero affordable housing project in the state of Utah. Artspace Solar Gardens earned a Most Outstanding Project of 2013 award for its sustainable features from Utah Construction & Design Magazine and a 2014 Sustainable Business Award from Utah Business magazine.
2016 | Macaroni Flats
Adjacent to Artspace City Center, Artspace Macaroni Flats was completed in December of 2016. This project rehabilitated the former Western Macaroni Manufacturing Company warehouse where Antonio Ferro, Pasta King of the Mountain West, produced more than 45 types of pasta. Built in 1900 and vacant for over ten years, Artspace turned the project into a mixed-use building that includes 13 affordable apartments and over 5,000 square feet of store-front commercial space. The project was financed with both NMTCs and Federal and State HTCs and includes many sustainable features such as a rooftop solar panel installation, rainwater harvesting and other green features.
2017 | Greenery
Artspace Greenery, completed in October of 2017, is our second net-zero energy project with onsite solar production. Located adjacent to Artspace Solar Gardens, this .31 acre lot was formerly used as a scrap yard for a painting contractor. Financed with NMTCs, the project rehabilitated two existing buildings and added an addition to create 5,500 square feet of commercial space. Artspace Greenery provides community gardens for the area and includes a 1,732 square foot café and community space occupied by Spice Kitchen Incubator to provide a business training program for refugees and New Americans.