Towards an Open Studio Concept for Olde Town, Conyers

1. Towards an Open Studio Concept for Olde Town, Conyers Dr. Rich Harrill Director International Tourism Research Institute University of South Carolina Urban Planner: Brian Gosey

2. Olde Town Defined • Main Street from Milstead Avenue to Pine Log Road, but including the office complex of the government of Rockdale County and courthouse • Railroad Street from Elm Street to the juncture of Railroad and Commerce Street • Green Street from West Avenue to Scott Street • Center Street • Commercial Street

3. Overhead View of Olde Town

4. Interview Quotes • “Need to have things you can’t find at the mall.” • “Determine what you need and go after it.” • “Make Olde Town Eventful.” • “Do fewer events and do them well.” • “Do events, then get business feedback.”

5. Interview Quotes • “A Main Street manager is needed to make it all happen.” • “They need a person selling Olde Town 24-7.” • “Make Olde Town bigger and increase its size on maps.” • “I like to know when I get there.” • “I like sculpture with meaning.”

6. Interview Quotes • “Make Olde Town unique, marketable, current, and regional.” • “Give people what they want to see.” • “Because of the colorful buildings, people are talking about Olde Town now.” • “Have a hook, make it unique, and that will bring them back.” • “Make it a place you want to come and do things.”

7. Olde Town, Different Opinions • Quality v. Quantity • Examples: events • Separation v. Integration • Example: circulation • Unique v. Functional • Example: retail

8. Olde Town, Different Opinions • Kinetic v. Contemplative • Example: arts • Management v. Expansion • Example: parking • Local v. Global • Example: artists

9. Olde Town, Different Opinions • Teaching v. Entertaining • Example: schools • Eclectic v. Parochial • Example: building color • Historical v. Contemporary • Example: public art • Immediate v. Gradual • Example: advertising

10. Great Ideas • Supporting residential densities: New Urbanism • Boutiques, green grocer, bakery, wine and cheese, and confections • Pedestrian-scale connectivity, bike paths • Buy Conyers! program • WiFi • Advertise on Cable • Involve Higher Ed

11. Greensboro, North Carolina: Lyndon Street Artworks • One building, 18,000 square feet • 25 spaces for rent • Studio space, galleries, storage, exterior spaces to work • Spaces rent for $75 to $300 per month • Gallery rental for artists not working at facility • 40 resident artists work in more than 15 mediums • Waiting list for studio openings • Strong ties with City of Greensboro monthly events

12. Stanardsville, Virginia: Blue Ridge Pottery • Small family-owned business • Four full-time potters and several apprentices • Housed in a historic building • Full production pottery facility with studios, storage, kiln rooms, drying areas, glazing room, galleries, and a bed and breakfast • Medium-to-large scale, making pottery for their own salesrooms as well as wholesale and commissioned pieces for corporate functions

13. Paducah, Kentucky: “Soho of the South” • Lower-than-market interest rates • Discounts on closing costs • Free banking services • Health insurance packages through Kentucky Arts Council • Free Web sites • Joint marketing and promotional packages • Technical assistance with business plans • Preservation tax incentives • Other incentives through the Paducah Enterprise Zone

14. Lanesboro, Minnesota: Cornucopia • Cornucopia Arts Center—juried sales gallery, classes, workshops, and an artists-in-residence program • Building color choices must be approved the city’s Historic Preservation Commission • Considering ordinances for public murals and sculptures • Artist incubator program to subsidize single artist or consortium of artists • Rents and property values are 50 to 70 percent lower than Minneapolis area

15. Wilmington, North Carolina • Painters, illustrators, potters, printmakers, metal workers, and weavers • 400 films since 1983 • Acme Art Studios is home to No Boundaries Art Colony, an 18,000-square-foot complex of studios downtown • Racine Center for Arts is community facility combining visual arts exhibitions and space for art classes with two galleries showing the work of local and regional artists • Fourth Friday Gallery Night

16. Space requirements Architectural merit Building character Location Parking Building appeal Exterior spaces Future use Ease of transition to open studio concept Visibility to traffic and visitors Needs of specific artists Accessibility Historical significance Site Elements Considered

17. Space Requirements • Workspace: open studios • Storage space: materials, supplies, excess inventory, works in a series • Gallery space: exhibit area and sales floor (often located in separate location) • Living space: many artists work variable hours and prefer to be near a location allowing them to work when the opportunity arises

18. Selected Sites • 12 locations suggested • Various types of buildings • Some sites are vacant, others are not • No perfect building • Key is to use what is available and to be flexible • Use vacant locations when possible

19. Selected Sites

20. 1020 Green Street 890 Green Street 923 Commercial Street 908 Commercial Street 912 Commercial Street 928 Commercial Street 902 Center Street 939 Railroad Street 874 Main Street 937 Main Street 941 Main Street 954 Main Street Selected Sites

21. 1020 Green Street • Great visibility • Exterior space • Roll-up doors • Great access • Unique building • Medium amount of square footage • Suited for any kind of art production

22. 890 Green Street • Great visibility • Large amount of square footage • Great access from two streets • Can service larger vehicle traffic • Any type of art production • Gallery space

23. 902 Center Street • Corner location • 2-story space • Adjacent to large parking area • Located in heart of Olde Town • Near visitors center • Suited for retail, gallery, studio spaces • Live and work spaces possible

24. 923 Commercial Street • Located in heart of Olde Town • Access both front and rear • Gallery or studio space

25. 939 Railroad Street • Prominent location • Variety of building spaces • Large amount of square footage • Indoor and outdoor space • Covered outdoor space, “flex space” • Live and work spaces possible • Easy access • Parking near facility

26. 908 Commercial Street • Located in heart of Olde Town • Accessible from Commercial Street and Stewart Alley • Variety of uses • Unique opportunity on alley • Live and work possibility • Gallery or studio space

27. 912 Commercial Street • Located in heart of Olde Town • Accessible from Commercial Street and Stewart Alley • Great opportunity to create an artist’s alleyway • Gallery or studio space

28. 928 Commercial Street • In heart of Olde Town • Most unique structure in the district • Accessible from downtown park • Near pavilion • “Signature” location • Gallery or studio space

29. 874 Main Street • Medium amount of square footage • Across from Rockdale County offices • Access from Main Street and Carters Alley • Near municipal parking area • 2-story building • Live and work studio opportunities

30. 937 Main Street • Located off Main Street • Roll-up doors • Great access • Next to Stewart Alley • Great visibility

31. 941 Main Street • Centrally located • Large amount of space • Exterior space • Next to park and pavilion • Roll-up door • Loading dock • Alley appeal • Could be used by any artist

32. 954 Main Street • Largest amount of square footage in district • Multiple buildings could accommodate a variety of uses • Easy access from Main Street • High visibility • High traffic area • Any artist could use the space • Space is large enough to “phase” development of open studio concept

33. Signage • Create a way finding system of signs, maps, and kiosks • Priority should be getting people out of their cars and on the streets • Simple signs • Bright, vibrant colors that are easily recognized • Denote destinations • Create a reason for people to explore the community through art walks or studio tours

34. Kiosks display maps and information Prominently located parking signs Greenville, South Carolina

35. Bright signage denote routes and locations Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

36. Signage and Kiosk Sites Sign locationsKiosk locations

37. The Bigger Picture: New Urbanism • Catch phrase in the planning and real estate development industries • A modern interpretation of older established areas • Mixed uses (residential, office, commercial, work spaces, restaurant, etc.) • Can be “artificial in feel” • Tries to recreate older places such as Olde Town

38. The Waterfront : Homestead, Pennsylvania • Suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Waterfront mixes big box retailers, restaurants, and commercial space with residential • Located near existing neighborhoods and new construction housing

39. Birkdale and Huntersville, North Carolina • Residential above retail areas • On street parking

40. The New Urbanism

41. New Urbanism and Olde Town Conyers To Do’s: • Mixed uses • Public spaces • On street parking • Residential densities to support retail • Strong sense of place Upside: Conyers does not have to recreate this type of setting, it is already in place in the Olde Town District!

42. Conclusions • Eclectic, kinetic, international, entertaining, colorful, and contemporary • “Cool”—connecting with Atlanta’s Creative Class • Olde Town but not Olde Timey • Heritage plus tourism sometimes does not equal “heritage tourism” • Different perspectives on Olde Town, the solutions are in the middle • Retail attraction and development • Main Street director, funding

43. Contact • Dr. Rich Harrill • E-mail: rharrill@hrsm.sc.edu • Fax: (803) 777-1224 • Telephone: (803) 777-7682