Mainframe Studios has met a deadline that will enable the arts organization to renovate its final floor, making it the largest nonprofit studio building in the nation.
In 2021, Nix and Virginia Lauridsen announced a pledge to the organization in the form of a matching gift. The local philanthropists offered to match all contributions raised by July 1, 2022, dollar-for-dollar, up to a million dollars.
Already featuring over 130 creative workspaces on four of its five floors, Mainframe Studios will finish renovations by the end of the year to reach a total of 180 studios.
The building received a facelift last year with a colorful mural that now covers the entire exterior of the building. Founded by Justin Mandelbaum, the nonprofit purchased the 160,000-square-foot former CenturyLink building in 2014 and has raised approximately $15M to finance the building acquisition and its extensive renovations.
“I am very grateful to our generous donors – and the Lauridsen family in particular – for believing in our vision, and in our ability to make this vision a reality,” said Mandelbaum in a release. “Their generosity has enabled Mainframe Studios to become a financially self-sustaining nonprofit, and therefore, a cultural asset that can be enjoyed for generations to come. I am excited to see how this unfolds and grows in the future.”
Mainframe Studios will acknowledge its long list of donors with an art installation by artist Alex Braden.