Grand Opening: Pacific View Arts Center
“So imagine if a haven came awake,
created as a place where we create,
made for makers and the things they make.”
Darius Degner, poet, singer-songwriter, musician, and teacher wrote a poem titled “Pacific View Lost and Found” to commemorate the opening of the Pacific View Arts Center.
We are excited to celebrate the official grand opening of the Pacific View Arts Center in Encinitas, CA! COAR first began working on this project in April 2022 and has since been collaborating closely with the City of Encinitas and Encinitas community to bring this project to life.
Previously the site of Pacific View Elementary School until its closing in 2003, the City of Encinitas wanted to utilize the abandoned space for something that would represent and enhance the community. It was decided to convert the space into an Arts Education Center, which will hold a variety of art classes for the public to enjoy. The mission of the new facility is to empower the community to cultivate artistic expression. It was important to create a space that could be home to all types of art - programming will include visual arts, performing arts, music, broadcasting, fabric, literary arts, healing arts, and floral arts.
The newly renovated Arts Center features eight classrooms, each home to a different art medium. At the grand opening, each of the classrooms was occupied. Visitors could find ceramic and watercolor in the visual arts rooms, a band playing in the sound room, broadcast video production in the multimedia room, and even an artist painting the exterior of the building. It was a joy to see the space filled with community members and arts of all kinds, just as intended.
From the very start of the project, representing the community has been a priority. During the design process, COAR facilitated a small focus group of arts community members in Encinitas to develop recommended color palettes for the building’s exterior. COAR then rendered these different exterior options for community members to vote on. The winning color palette was featured front and center during the grand opening, a fitting representation of this vibrant beach-front community.
“This has been a true community effort, and the results I think are magnificent,” said Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz.
Repurposing the existing facilities, there are a few sentimental features of the previous elementary school site that were preserved, from the classroom windows to hopscotch painted on the sidewalk. The wood shades over the classroom doors included wood recycled from the site’s original trellises. The building was upgraded to include a new fire sprinkler system. COAR worked with city officials and arborists to preserve the existing Juniper Tree at the main entrance by altering the route of the fire main line. These pieces of the past will help propel the center into a bright future.
Classes have already begun taking place in the new building. You can visit the City of Encinitas website to learn more about signing up!
Stay tuned to learn more!
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