The Fountain Square fountain and buildings in downtown Evanston. Photo: Eric Fredericks from Rancho Cordova, CA, United States / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The City of Evanston put out a call in early April 2015 for businesses and organizations to lease, equip and operate a recording studio and a café inside the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center, 1823 Church St., a building then still under construction just northeast of Evanston Township High School.
What was on offer
The studio is about 400 square feet and contains a control room, a studio room and an isolation booth. According to the city, it had minimal soundproofing tile and was wired to the specifications of its previous tenant, though changes could be made with the city’s cooperation. About 175 square feet of office space was available on request. Whoever took the lease would have to equip the studio and run educational programs for the community on site.
The café space amounted to a roughly 200-square-foot kitchen with four sinks, counter space, a Type 1 hood and tile floor. The seating area would sit by the entrance, with natural light. The city wanted café service to begin in September 2015, in time for the new school year.
Deadlines
Walk-throughs with question-and-answer sessions were set for 10 a.m. Thursday, April 9, for the studio and 10 a.m. Friday, April 10, for the café. Letters of intent were due by noon Friday, April 17, and the city said it would notify applicants by Wednesday, April 22.
The building
The center previously operated as the Boocoo Cultural Center, which closed after foreclosure in October 2014, the Daily Northwestern reported. The city took ownership and renamed it in February 2015 for Thomas Gibbs and William H. “Doc” Morrison, who ran businesses on that block. The city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department planned to use the space for programs in culture, education, health and wellness, and outreach, with an opening targeted for June 2015.
Where the space went
A Patch report from February 2017 said the Delores A. Holmes Recording Studio, named for Evanston’s 5th Ward alderman, was open to the public at the center. It was staffed by three audio engineers and offered recording, mixing and mastering seven days a week, at $25 an hour for Evanston students with ID, $35 for residents and $45 for nonresidents.
Details from the City of Evanston’s solicitation, Daily Northwestern coverage of April 7, 2015, and Patch, Feb. 9, 2017.
Margaret Whitfield is the editor of The Evanston Edge and covers local government, development and neighborhoods.
