Toole Avenue, for years, was pinned against the railroad tracks, the rope of an impending throughway construction up against its neck. Some of the state-owned warehouses along its length went unmaintained or sat empty, the gravel-strewn byway largely silent.
Reprieve has come.
The road project was rerouted and the state Department of Transportation auctioned the most recent batch of warehouses in April. Peach Properties scooped up warehouses at 1 E. Toole Ave. and 119 E. Toole Ave. Investor Steve Fenton bought the spaces in between. The result is almost two solid blocks of art gallery and studio space that is rustling back to life. '
Ron and Patricia Schwabe of Peach Properties have enlisted untiring arts ringmaster David Aguirre to plan and organize the future of 119 E. Toole Ave., the warehouse directly across the street from the planned but stalled Pima County courthouse. The former Zee’s Warehouse at 1 E. Toole Ave. is being fixed up to lease.
Aguirre is overflowing with ideas. For the six months since his Dinnerware gallery was ousted from its home on Congress Street to make way for restaurant and bar An Congress (with a yet-to-be-determined opening date), Aguirre has been traveling and researching, contemplating the way forward. His plan is as sprawling as the buildings he seeks to revive.
In the 20,000 square feet of the former recycling center at 119 E. Toole Ave., Aguirre sees the future Dinnerware Artspace, Central Arts Gallery, and two new artist collaboratives. He hopes to provide the collaboratives with exhibition spaces that are separate but mutable –'the great room divided by walls on rollers perhaps.
The idea is to use the unbroken space to hold events such as Ignite Tucson – an evening of 5-minute PowerPoint presentations on whatever the presenter wants.
But that’s not all. Adjoining bays would hold a ceramics workshop, some kind of movement classes –'dance, maybe yoga; an etching workshop and a silkscreen workshop. A darkroom is slated for one of the walk-in refrigerators in the basement. Other refrigerators could be used for installations.
A below-ground, rough stone-walled great room might be used for storytelling events. The dock will have wifi; in the courtyard, Aguirre hopes to bring in a food cart for use as a community kitchen. '
Donated supplies are starting to come in. Fire code compliance is being negotiated. Doors are being built, skylights are being installed and walls are being sandblasted.
“It’s exciting,” Aguirre said. “There’s something new every day. The plan is the gateway activity,” he said. “It’s like going out to dance, and you go out, but you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
At both of the Peach-owned properties Aguirre plans to have programming for the All Souls Procession November 7. Artists will utilize the dock at the 1 E. Toole Ave. building and the courtyard of 119 E. Toole.
Meanwhile, 20 artists have moved into studios in the Arches building, 35 E. Toole Ave., managed by Steven Eye of Solar Culture - the one spot that has been active consistently over the years.
Two shows are planned for November in the building’s exhibition space. Robert Barber will curate a show of the life’s work of his late wife, longtime local artist Fern Barber, his companion for 63 years. The large-scale sculptures of Tucson’s Tina Notaro will also be on display.
Lulubell Toy Bodega, formerly of the complex at Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue, has also moved into the Arches building’s east corner.
“We liked the direction this block is going,” said Amy DelCastillo, co-owner of Lulubell with Luke Rook, who now scouts for the store from Tokyo. “There’s a nice little buzz right now.”
DelCastillo is hoping momentum will build, bringing more foot traffic and artists to that corner of downtown. The store’s grand opening was October 16
