On Friday, Houston real estate blog Swamplot ran a story about plans to turn an abandoned J.C. Penny department store in Houston’s declining West Oaks Mall into a “multi-disciplinary, multi-use arts complex.” The piece describes a fairy-godmother scenario in which the project’s instigator, Sharsten Plenge, is offering free rent and a free renovation of the space from its owners, Pacific Retail, apparently in exchange for merely occupying and using the building, which has been vacant for eight years.
According to Swamplot, “Plenge is looking for “creative collaborators” and potential tenants for the mall-anchor rehab, including artists seeking studio and temporary exhibition space amidst the store’s abandoned cases and retail displays.”
2 comments
do you plan to offer a combination of livng/workingspaces, as in lofts?
A fantastic idea!!! I am interested in this! Please contact