- project leader
- Ashley F
- location
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123 E McMicken Avenue(Over-the-Rhine)
- latest update rss
- No updates yet.
the project
Action Tank, in close partnership with OTR A.D.O.P.T., will establish historic 123 E. McMicken Avenue as The Volkshaus (or The People’s House), Action Tank’s primary place of business with an open invitation to nearby residents and resident-led groups to join us in work, planning, respite, and community-building. Take a digital tour of the Volkshaus as we build. This project includes a two-story outdoor back patio, a second floor front balcony, and ample screens to allow for COVID-safe gatherings and hybrid events. This will allow for community meetings that have been put on hold or that were otherwise disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action Tank is a think tank that partners with artists to research and promote new public policy solutions at the local government level. We focus on planning and policy solutions to advance opportunity in neighborhoods and working with residents to promote policy changes that best meet everyone’s needs. We use creative placemaking approaches, working with artists, arts organizations, and designers to conduct research, build awareness, engage residents, and more.
OTR A.D.O.P.T. is a nonprofit organization with a track record of historic preservation and community building in Cincinnati’s urban core. Our mission is to bring to life the character of Cincinnati’s historic neighborhoods by facilitating the transfer of vacant, endangered structures to caring investors. Our purpose is to preserve Cincinnati’s unique identity and competitive advantage in furtherance of becoming a top tier American city. Our core values of integrity, efficiency, and social responsibility drive each of our historic preservation projects.
the steps
We will renovate the first floor and outdoor courtyard into welcoming spaces that will be used for Action Tank trainings, community engagement sessions, and as a space for community-organized and community-led gatherings such as speaker series, film screenings, and book readings. When the first floor and courtyard are not in use as event spaces, they, along with the second floor, will be available as a sliding scale co-working space for residents and community members. The second floor will be designated at all times as a quiet office and conference room space with shelving for a free resource library. The renovation of the building will take place over three phases.
- Phase 1: Design and permitting by December 2021
- Phase 2: Construction, café, and courtyard build-out by December 2022
- Phase 3: Action Tank moves in to the building by Summer 2023
As a project that is being fully financed by nonprofit organizations, $10,000 would help us to outfit the first floor indoor and outdoor spaces with the audiovisual equipment needed to host COVID-safe civic enagement work as well as create the public resource libtrary and co-working space. Any bit helps us to make this vision into a reality. Receive a pound of Volkshaus Coffee blended by La Terza when you donate at the Coffee Club level!
- Coffee Club - $50
- Coworker - $100
- Office Mate - $500
- Colleague - $1,000
why we're doing it
We decided to call the building The Volkshaus, or The People’s House. The Volkshaus will be a place where community members may gather to reclaim their civic power and develop skills, strategies, and relationships to engage with local government systems and processes to benefit all residents, not just the lucky, well-connected few. This civic space is especially important due to challanges that COVID-19 has created for community groups h to find welcoming, affordable, and technology-equipped spaces to meet safely during the pandemic.
123 E MicMicken Avenue is a fitting, long-lasting home for Action Tank's impressive civic engagement work, and will offer affordable co-working space in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine. A former grocery whose window to the public has been closed for decades, the Volkshaus project will restore the Civil War-era storefront and invite the public back into this historic space.
For event and coworking membership early booking and all other inquiries, please contact Ioanna Paraskevopoulos at ioanna@actiontankusa.org.
budget
DISBURSED BUDGET:
| TOTAL RAISED = | $1,660.00 |
| ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) | N/A |
| ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) | $37.50 |
| TOTAL TO DISBURSE= | $1,622.50 |
ORIGINAL BUDGET:
Projector screens $1,000
Speaker system $750
Cameras and recording equipment $2,000
Microphones $250
Courtyard landscaping and lighting $1,000
Furnishings and Finishes for Public Co-Working Space- $2,500
Custom Carpentry for Public Resource Library (bookshelves, stairways)- $2,500
updates
Sorry, but this project doesn't have any updates yet.
photos
This is where photos will go once we build flickr integrationdonors
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Coffee
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Kristen Barker
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Valentine's Day Books + Coffee Purchases (6 individual purchases)
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Coffee & Cheese Event Ticket Sales
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Patricia B.
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Melissa C.
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Bryce Rhoades
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In honor of Steve Ozug
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Paul Muller
