Two new spaces open this fall, one bringing a new concept to the nuts and bolts of performing arts and the other meeting the need for a midsize concert venue. The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has been building out and vetting hopeful groups for residencies at The .ZACK, a midtown theater incubator, workspace, and venue. And Delmar Hall, brainchild of Joe Edwards, is the missing link in capacity between The Duck Room and The Pageant.
The .ZACK is a 40,000-square-foot, four-floor multiuse space in the Cadillac Building (3224 Locust), former home of Plush Nightclub. It includes a 200-seat theater, a private “Urban Ballroom” with an adjacent spa suite for weddings and fundraisers, office space, a cocktail lounge, and a full-service catering setup and restaurant run by David Kirkland.
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The modern twist is that The .ZACK will be taking a page from Silicon Valley’s book. Nine resident arts organizations, selected by a committee of arts professionals, will share the space as a performing arts incubator, with access to such shared resources as office space, prop and set storage, and build-and-paint rooms—not to mention the incidental intellectual frisson that occurs when creatives share physical space.
“It’s time for the arts to step up in the areas of shared resources,” says Chris Hansen, the foundation’s director of operations. “It’s a culture.”
Edwards says his latest venue will be open by the end of September. “It’s going to fill that sweet spot between The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill’s 300-capacity space and The Pageant’s 2,000 capacity,” he says.
Edwards figures that such a space can help bands and fans get to know each other on an accelerated timeline. Rather than playing The Duck Room and waiting a year or two to generate enough buzz to fill The Pageant, Edwards says, bands can return more frequently. “They can build up a big fanbase in the center of our country.”
The $3 million project, undertaken with Kiku Obata & Company and Edwards’ business partner Pat Hagin, involves lopping off and rebuilding the back three-fifths of the building, which once housed Big Shark Bicycle Company, and rebuilding it in levels, similar to an orchestra setup, providing the height to accommodate lights and special effects.
“I think St. Louis is going to be very happy when they see this,” he says. “It’s built for music, not just adapted.”
