Upstairs Re-Dedicated to The Arts
One of Vision Historic Preservation Foundation’s mission pillars is to bring arts enrichment opportunities to Rockdale and inspire a culture of art.
With that in mind, we have committed to dedicating the upstairs of The 1895 to the arts .. after all, the upstairs was once an Opera House!
We have engaged Wheelhouse Design from Austin to assist us in envisioning the upstairs spaces, utilizing design elements which honor the Victorian period, but also enhance & draw attention to the architectural features of The 1895.
The southwest quadrant of the building will feature an 850 sqft art gallery with additional exhibition space along the walls in the hallway. The southeast room, which will have access to the bell tower observation deck, could serve either as an office or 315 sqft boutique space. One restroom upstairs will be expanded to be ADA accessible. The elevator tower will enter a foyer space (across from the art gallery entrance) into the east offices. Off the foyer there will also be a 220 sqft office / boutique space. These east offices could include Foundation offices and/or artist boutique spaces.
The north half of The 1895’s upstairs will need to be re-built. This area was removed in 1939, as the WPA utilized the brick from this area to build the bisecting support wall at the mid-point of the building. While necessary at the time to strengthen the building (according to 1936 articles, the wide-open 125 foot expanse had begun to sag), this renovation expedited the building’s obsolescence due to not meeting modern fire and ADA codes. The addition of an elevator and secondary stairwell tower on the east side of the building will not only bring the building up to modern codes, it will make the art gallery and upstairs spaces accessible to all. The stairwell & elevator tower will also incorporate an open-air balcony space which will connect to the re-built north half of the upstairs.
This north section will be an attractively designed 2000 sqft multi-use space which could be used for meetings & special events, musical performances, and arts enrichment programs. This space will also include a small catering kitchen, with window service to the balcony.