Lauren Baron
BRANT NEWS

The Brantford Centre for the Arts is getting a facelift.

The Brantford Arts Block on Monday released renderings of the future arts centre. The images of the former Union Gas building on Colborne Street show a redesigned entrance, a 150-seat black box theatre, a gift shop and a modern lobby, café and bar.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $6.3 million, which includes the building’s $2 million value, $2 million from Mohawk College for renovations and equipment, $1 million for Arts Block renovations, $410,000 for Arts Block equipment, $220,000 for planning, a $500,000 operating budget for the first three years and $200,000 in contingency funds.

The Arts Block, a not-for-profit community arts organization, plans to turn the 20,000 square-foot building into a community-driven hub of creativity with space for art studios, Mohawk College’s School Within a College program, community meetings and a rooftop garden.

Local real estate development company King and Benton, which currently leases the building from Union Gas, has agreed to lease the building to the Brantford Arts Block on an 18-year lease for $1 per year.

The Arts Block is raising funds for the building project through grant applications, corporate sponsorship and a fundraising initiative.

Arts Block executive director Josh Bean said he hopes the centre’s upper floor will be open by September, with the rest of the building complete by January 2013.