The Union for Contemporary Art announces plans for a Studio Theater Project

Photo via The Union: Two actresses from the play “The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin” stand in front of a purple background - one is singing and the other looks out of frame with a severe look.

by: vivian caniglia

The Union for Contemporary Art hosted a public information meeting on July 15th to announce plans for a new community gathering space to be built in the F.J. Carey Block building on North 24th Street. Along with preserving the historic building, the Union aims to expand their current theatre programming. 

The F.J. Carey Block building, located at 2401 North 24th Street, is 107 years old. The National Park service marked the building as historically-significant in 2016. After operating as multiple laundry businesses and most recently a daycare, the space is in need of significant repairs to preserve its foundation. Omaha architecture firm Alley Poyner Macchietto is drafting plans for the reconstruction. The Union hopes to begin structural repairs on the building in late summer 2021 and start full renovations in early 2022. 

The Union’s live theatre program began in 2016 with productions in the gallery's theatre. In a social media post about the new project, the Union said it hopes to grow their financial support for theatre professionals and partners within the first few years of programming in the F.J. Carey Block building. The current theatre space has a 50 seat capacity. The new building will hold 90 seats with expanded lobby, rehearsal and set design areas.