Logan Greene spent months looking for the perfect spot to open Groundworks, a youth community space he hopes will be a hub for all things music, arts and culture.
In November he found what he was looking for in the old Ray Manley photography studio at 236 S. Tucson Blvd.
The building had been vacant for several years and the landlord was thrilled about what Groundworks represented, Greene said.
Greene signed the lease in January and quickly moved in. Construction on the 2,000-square-foot building began right away.
âThe cool thing about this building is that itâs already kind of sectioned off a little bit,â said Greene, who works as a guitar teacher. âWe kind of took a few more steps to tear down a couple walls but for the most part, a lot of the work was already done.â
Greene plans on using every inch of the building to promote youth creativity in Tucson, especially when it comes to the arts and music.
âItâs almost surreal,â Greene said. âWeâve been working on it for just about a year, and at times it felt like we were never going to find a space and a building that fit what we wanted to do; but after finding one, itâs this awesome feeling.â
Bookmans has partnered with Greene on the project, helping with construction efforts and training Greene on the business side of things.
âTheyâve been working with us this whole time on the logistics of getting into the space and building, tearing down walls,â Greene said.
Bookmans president, Sean Feeney, learned about the Groundworks project through Bookmans manager Ryan Dillard, who is friends with Greene.
âI thought, itâs the kind of project that resonates with Bookmans,â Feeney said. âWe see ourselves not merely as a bookstore, but a contributor and a center for cultural content and culture within the community of Tucson.â
Feeney found Groundworks to be a positive cultural space for the city and wanted to help in any way that he could.
âFrankly, when I get interested in a project, I get interested in rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty trying to make it happen,â Feeney said. âI knew that once we got into that process, it would be good for (Greene) to have some people onboard helping out who have also dealt with the challenges and difficulties that can come with that kind of project.â
Feeney plans to keep the relationship Bookmans currently has with Groundworks open to see where it can take them.
âFrom the Bookmans perspective, we want to nurture those cultural passions in any community weâre in,â Feeney said. âOur best hope for Groundworks is that it will continue to drive an interest in popular culture, musical culture, the arts with Tucson youth that will follow them their whole lives.â
In addition to working on the building, Greene is also trying to recruit teachers.
Greene said classes at Groundworks will cover a wide range of topics, from cartoon drawing to guitar and many of them will be all-ages.
At night, the space will serve as a venue for local and touring bands.
Greene said he hopes Groundworks will provide a space for young artists and musicians to come and perform and not have to worry about getting in trouble.
He said he wants it to be an inclusive, inexpensive place for young artists to get their music heard.
âFor me, because I teach high school and I work with high school kids, Iâm excited about the community that is going to build around the space,â Greene said. âUltimately, we want to become a central hub for arts in Tucson.â
Greene said he hopes to have the space ready for classes and concerts by early April.
