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NEW CANAAN, Conn. An old downtown Post Office depot building largely ignored by New Canaan residents will soon have new life as a home for art and expression.
Rubicon Seven, a land use development firm, plans to transform the old post office garage depot off Cherry Street into the Art House. Rubicon Seven owner and New Canaan native J. Tedrowe Bonner celebrated the project Friday with an art show titled Celebrating Our Creative Legacy, which focuses on New Canaans creative spirit and history from the 1960s and earlier. Bonners family has owned the building since 1958 and artists often spent time inside to create art years ago.
This building had almost a zero carbon footprint, a zero energy footprint and they (artists) were perfectly comfortable working here, said Bonner, who now lives in Ridgefield.
Students from Norwalk Community Colleges art, architecture and design program will spend the school year researching, planning and programming the Art House. Once the plans are reviewed, the building will be upgraded for use by accomplished local artists. In exchange for the reduced studio rent, Bonner will ask the artists to teach their craft to children in the area.
The initiative, Bonner said, is designed to re-energize the arts in New Canaan and promote communalism, diversity and sharing.
As one of the last untouched buildings in town one that has not undergone significant renovation it is the ideal structure for this kind of community-based project, Bonner said.
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