Weekly newspaper moves to purchase Red River Artist Center

The Telegram is in negotiations to purchase the Red River Artist Center in downtown River Rouge.The move would fill the building with staff from the weekly newspaper that focuses on the Downriver area. It would also maintain some smaller studio spaces for artists and small businesses.”This condenses our three-year time frame to eight months (for filling up the building),” says Rick Manore, coordinator and founder of Red River Artist Center.Manore started working on the Russell Industrial Center-style organization last year with city officials to turn the vacant, former home of U.S. Steel Information Systems, 10750 W Jefferson Ave., into a low-cost incubator for small businesses and artists. The idea is to breathe some new life into the city’s central business district. Think of the rebirth of Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood.Artists and creatives started taking up residence in the two-story, 1960s-era building last summer. The structure’s 25,000 square feet of office space features more than a dozen 15-by-15-foot spaces that go for as little as $155 a month. The Telegram is the main tenant, bringing in a number of full-time employees. Source: Rick Manore, coordinator and founder of Red River Artist CenterWriter: Jon Zemke