Let’s Save The El Rey For Arts & Housing!
A historic 30,000-square-foot building adjacent to our original 2nd Ave location faces demolition. The owners support transferring it to us for community use, including affordable housing, artist residencies, nonprofit offices, galleries, and performance venues. We've assembled housing experts, original architects, and nonprofit partners to help.
The Department of Construction and Inspections will decide on the demolition permit within weeks—we need your immediate support to save this space.
Read More About Our Proposal:
We are relying on community support to make this happen!
Get involved here
Our Support
Nonprofit Partners / Supporters
Clarion West
Town Hall Seattle
SAL (Seattle Arts & Lectures)
Bushwick Northwest
Eighth Generation
Hedgebrook
Northwest Film Forum
The Frye Art Museum
Seattle City of Literature
The Seventh Wave
Short Run Seattle
Tulipwood Books
Partners in Print
Seattle Art Book Fair
Historic Seattle
On the Boards
Theater Off Jackson
Jack Straw Cultural Center
Actualize[d] Air
Fantagraphics Books
Writing the Other
Elliott Bay Book Company
Bureau of Fearless Ideas
The 3rd Thing Press
Youth Speaks Seattle
Velocity Dance Center
Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
Arts Corps
Belltown United
Professional Partnerships
Bruce Company
Anjali Grant Design
SMR Architects
Apex Law
Southeast Effective Development
Organizational and Community Letter of Support
Who We Are
Common AREA Maintenance is celebrating ten years of providing space, resources and community for Seattle’s arts and literary landscape. We host over 100 performances, literary readings, gallery shows, and educational programs in collaboration with dozens of local nonprofits, arts organizations, and individuals.
Making Wild Art Spaces That Last
Art spaces that resist commodification have always been ephemeral – flourishing in warehouses or soon-to-be demolished buildings – existing on the economic fringes of Seattle. Their existence within the city is increasingly jeopardized by the rising cost of living, and with the loss of these third spaces we lose the hubs where people can play, dream, and experiment.
Our vision is to create a space that endures, maintaining that wildness while sustaining the people who make it possible. CAM’s expansion is a critical step towards accomplishing that vision.
Community and Collaboration
Maintaining a community arts space with limited resources pushes us to envision beyond our limitations. We are constantly building the tools, spaces, and coalitions of people we need to support our ideas and our community. This commitment to resource sharing and resourcefulness helps us foster community well-being, whether that is expanding our capacity to support artists financially, establishing and nurturing scholarships to democratize access, or nurturing the emergence of arts leadership roles within our community.
“CAM is an incredible space centered on community care, with a strong emphasis on making sure everyone has what they need to thrive”
Asha Helmstetter — Second Ave Sign Project Resident Artist
Built by artists to support artists.
CAM's expansion reflects our mission of creating and manifesting more resources for the arts community and the public. The expansion into a new space is not just about physical growth, but embracing diverse forms of involvement through curatorial ideas, attending events, volunteering, and fostering connections. Tending to this supports our long-term vision of a thriving ecosystem of arts and culture in Seattle.
