PS1 purchases 538 S Gilbert (the Close House) - the newest center for small ‘a’ art

Public Space One (PS1) has signed a purchase agreement to buy 538 South Gilbert (the Close House) and make this historic building the newest location for PS1 programs and projects, including the new home of the Media Arts Co-op (MAC), the Center for Afrofuturist Studies (CAS) reading room and residency, and additional space for nonprofit and art collective incubation.

The property was built in 1874 by C.D. Close in the Italianate architectural style and named to the National Register of Historic Places 100 years later, in June 1974. The Gazette outlined a history of the house and its people in 2017. PS1 will take over as stewards of the structure from Sheryl and Chuck Skaugstad who, along with their families, renovated and cared for the building starting in 1980. PS1 undertakes this endeavor with the understanding that the iconic building should be a community asset for all to enjoy and one that can serve as a robust center for community art initiatives, regional contemporary art hub, and providing a home base for grassroots, experimental, and socially-engaged arts initiatives for years to come.

PS1 will continue to operate its North Gilbert St locations, with artist studios and gallery in 229 N. Gilbert and the Iowa City Press Co-op next door at 225 N. Gilbert. Less than a mile south on Gilbert, the new Close House location will provide: expanded gallery, studio, and outdoor art space, an apartment for visiting artists-in-residence, a new site for the Center for Afrofuturist Studies reading room, and a new community studio space for audio, video, and new media production and for MAC programming. The former PATV building at 206 Lafayette St is being sold to make this purchase and future possible. 

In 2019, Gilbane, a real estate developer, approached PS1 and offered to purchase the building at 206 Lafayette St. It was clear that their projected three year construction plans for the neighborhood would severely impact the Media Arts Co-op's ability to operate its mission in the building as well as lock PS1 into a small building footprint, surrounded by a new high-rise. PS1's board and staff unanimously decided that the best course of action would be to sell the building and intentionally invest the proceeds in Iowa City arts, taking the initial stages of making a large, central, historic building a publicly-accessible cultural asset and inviting the community to join and support us in this long-term project. 

PS1 sustaining members will be the first public group invited into the new space, with plans being made for that first event at the beginning of December. People are encouraged to support the organization through joining as a sustaining member ($5-$50 a month), as fundraising will play a large part in how quickly the space will become open to the public and programming continues during and after this transition. Support for this project and PS1 at this time will help to build a major cultural asset for the community for years to come.

Leaving the space at 206 Lafayette is bittersweet as the building was the longtime home of PATV, which merged with PS1 in 2019. Public Space One will continue as the steward of the PATV’s legacy, and we believe this move will better serve their mission of providing equipment, education and maintaining an open access platform for community driven media. Upgrades to the new space will provide a new studio for MAC members and further integrate that program into the fabric of PS1 and the community.

Also bittersweet is the end of the upstairs space, which housed Uptown Bills for a decade from Aug 2010 until September 2020 . The venue was home to many gatherings, music shows, and an important nexus for many Iowa City communities. We will hold one last music show in that space on Sunday, October 17 at 5p with touring artist David Dondero and local legend Dave Moore (who has played the stage many times).

PS1 looks forward to this new chapter in the history of our organization and how this complements the work of many other arts organizations in the shifting landscape that is Iowa City. Our hope is that this additional space will take the energy sparked with the Greatest Small City of the Arts campaign and distribute it widely. We encourage any and all people to join us in whatever capacity allows (via financial contribution, programming, or showing up)! We have some wild possibilities on the horizon.

We also encourage other local arts, culture, and community building collectives and organizations to be in touch regarding space sharing and collaborative opportunities. We are excited to work with historic preservation specialists, art-making and intersectional social justice groups, and individuals interested in transformative cultural work.