In 2002 Wesleyan University joined the City of Middletown and the North End Action Team (NEAT), a resident-led advocacy group, to establish a community arts center in the depressed North End of Middletown, CT to act as an anchor for revitalization efforts already underway.
Wesleyan reached beyond its campus and engaged its community, enriching its students in the process. The City of Middletown wanted to restore the North End to its former stability. NEAT wanted a safe neighborhood with amenities for their children.
Each team member contributed to the project. NEAT lobbied for a community arts center which gave impetus to the City of Middletown to support it; the City of Middletown leased a vacant schoolhouse to Wesleyan for $1 per year and contributed $225,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds; Wesleyan raised $1.6 million for renovation and equipment and $1 million to subsidize scholarship and programming; and the architects worked with a very limited budget.
The Center has stabilized Middletown's North End and is busy with daytime, after school, and evening classes. It demonstrates that a vacant schoolhouse can be transformed into a vibrant community arts center with dedicated stakeholders. It is a hub of activity and adds an important safety element to life in the area.
The Green Street Arts Center is also Wesleyan's largest community outreach program. Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts provides administrative and financial consulting, and coordinates volunteer activities of Wesleyan students and faculty, enriching the lives of both tutors and students.
The jury said, ". . . loved the connection with the city . . . the investment made in the community was very good . . ."
Project Team: Wesleyan University with Centerbrook Architects and Planners; and Gibble Norden Champion Brown, structural engineering; Robert Van Houten, M/E/P; Philip R. Sherman, code consultant; Spec*Tran, specifications consultant and Standard Builders Inc., contractor. |
