Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Fremantle is getting its own arts district, in the style of a part of London’s famous Covent Garden, under the new ownership of an Perth-born now, New York-based businesswoman.
Bronwyn Owen spent $12.5 million buying Fremantle’s Piazza in September last year and already has the wheels turning on a massive re-invigoration of the long-neglected public space.
She told Perth Now she was inspired to flip dormant spaces into social, artsy hubs for the local community to thrive in, much like Neal’s Yard in London’s famous Covent Garden, which could incorporate a new children’s museum, cooking school and gallery.
“I wanted to give the community a space and bring the artists to the forefront. This will be the Piazza Arts District, and we’re going to have a very prominent message on one of the walls that says ‘art lives here’,” said Ms Owen, who grew up in Kelmscott.
“I’m hoping we’ll get a whole bunch of (artists) here, international and local, and we’ll be supporting a lot of upcoming artists, because you really need to have the community involved.”
Sitting at the heart of the bustling Cappuccino Strip for more than 40 years, the once vibrant Piazza has fallen into neglect as previous owners deliberated what to do with it.
Its new owner plans to open up the Piazza roof, revegetate the space with greenery, and introduce cobblestones to elevate the area into a European-style courtyard, occupied by a range of new tenants.
She wants to embrace creativity and youth in her redevelopments, and started setting the tone with some large-scale public art murals. Bordalo II, from Portugal, and French artist AERO have most recently installed large-scale projects. Locally-based mural artist Jerome Davenport completed a work last month.
“My art comes from the graffiti of the 90s, and the street has always been my favourite playground,” AERO said.
“I like the idea that expression and art can be accessible to everyone in this way.”
Future plans include an interactive children’s museum, bakery, cooking school and art gallery, with plenty of hospitality and retail small business pop ups.
Ms Owen hopes commercial ventures placed outside will pay for a community-focused interior.
“South Terrace is a very busy strip, and that will probably stay commercial because I need to get revenue to pay for everything we’re doing,” she said.
On the Piazza’s top level, IDEA Academy has already moved in, operating as an innovative and flexible education option that Ms Owen said will invite foot flow into the space for everything else.
“Over time, they’ll have about 150 kids here hopefully buzzing around. I really want to do a grassroots bakery and cooking school, and we can have our own herbs and plantings similar to when you go to Rome or Venice,” she said.
“The museum is going to be based on the Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York, which is an incredible community space. Freo does have the arts centre and the Maritime Museum, but I think we need a destination for kids.
“I want it to be accessible and equitable, so not just rich people can afford it.”
Ms Owen said her management team would always be on the look out for short-term tenants looking for a pop-up opportunity, with the potential to transition them into long-term sustainable tenants if they were successful and want to stay.
“There’s a lot of cross-building opportunities. For example, you’ve got Not Random Magazines down there, and if we had an amazing coffee offering at some point, it would make sense to pair those … I think we’re stronger when we’re working together,” she said.
Ms Owen, who worked her way from Perth to be the international head of the investment group, The Children’s Investment’s fund management on New York’s famous financial strip, said she had a keen interest in WA’s progression.
“Other developers here in Freo that are all very commercially savvy couldn’t make the numbers work, because they’re looking at it from a typical real estate perspective,” she said.
“I’m a bit different, because I’m on Wall Street, so I was looking at it from more of a social community viewpoint.”
The Piazza comprises 36 tenancies. Before it was sold last year, 35 per cent of the tenancies were leased to generate a net annual income of about $182,444. But Ms Owen said the site’s real value was in its potential.
“I’m leaning into what’s here. I’m not bulldozing anything, I think over time it will become a family-friendly destination for young people to enjoy,” she said.
“I love Freo, I think people want to have a reason to come to Freo and bring their kids. Freo is not just vape shops and convenience stores.
“We are working with existing tenants to evolve the offering in some cases. We are keeping people here, but we all have to be aligned with what we’re doing.”
The Piazza redevelopment team have been working alongside other business owners and the City of Fremantle to keep the momentum going strong, in the hope the economic benefits will spill over into other local areas.
The space will constantly evolve with a circuit of tenants and visitors, but Ms Owen hopes the main redevelopments will be complete by the end of the year.
City of Fremantle director of city business Matt Hammond told PerthNow the investment was an exciting sign for Fremantle’s future.
“The city has been working closely with the owner of South Terrace Piazza and their team via our investment concierge program, which exists to provide support to investors and property owners when navigating city processes,” he said.
“The investment into the Piazza has been welcomed by the city and is a credit to the owner of the property, who has prioritised and invested in local grassroots activation ideas and programming, resulting in new life being breathed back into the much-loved Freo landmark.”
This project is occurring alongside several other public and private investments in Fremantle. For example, the former Hungry Jacks site recently received development approval for a three-storey tavern, and Point Street carpark will close so that work can begin on new student accommodation.
“Fremantle thrives when our spaces are activated and welcoming. A refreshed Piazza has the potential to draw people into the city centre, support local cafés and retailers and create more opportunities for community events and performances,” Fremantle Chamber chief executive officer Chrissie Maus said.
“We welcome investment from people who believe in Fremantle and want to contribute to its future. It is encouraging to see new energy around the Piazza and we look forward to seeing how the vision develops.”
Anyone wanting to be involved in the Piazza can contact info@thepiazzafremantle.com.
