ColumbusING.com posted up news last night that Junctionview Studios is being bought by Nationwide Realty Investments. If you’re not familiar with the building, it houses around 60 artists studios including the workplace of the Couchfire Collective group and is home to many events include the monster Agora shows.
I think most everyone saw this coming, since NRI has being buying up land around the building for awhile now, but everyone was hoping it would be happening later rather than sooner. While Couchfire sounds willing to stay in the location as long as they can, it’s uncertain what NRI’s plans are, or if they’d be willing to work with them. I think it could be doable to integrate new artists space into whatever NRI is planning there (I’m guessing it’s going to be a mixed use space similar to what they’ve done with the Arena District, but with more of a retail focus and less of an entertainment focus). It’s been a recent trend that developers are starting to see artists more as an amenity for people who want to live in creative areas. Artists are what make neighborhoods cool, and I think NRI is smart enough to realize that.
Either way, I don’t see this being the end of Couchfire or their awesome events. If they can’t renew their lease on the building when their time is up, I’m sure they’ll be able to relocate without too much of problem. They’re a strong group, and their objectives seem to go beyond any mere building. I wish them all the best of luck with the challenges that lie ahead.