Phase 2 of the project broke ground in September 2023 with the partial demolition of a former retail center at Fuqua Street and Blueridge Road, Community Impact previously reported.
The project initially began in 2017 with the Edison Arts Foundation’s purchase of 12.5 acres at 7100 W. Fuqua St., Houston, with the goal of revitalizing a shopping center that had been vacant for 25 years.
“To bring it back to life and give it some pride, it’s about civic pride, it’s about giving them an opportunity to live,” said Troy Carter, the foundation’s director of government affairs.
Zooming in
The new $50 million facility will offer several different after school art programs for kids, including percussion, karate, theater and dance, Troy Carter said.
“At its heart, the Edison Cultural Arts Center is about access,” Charity Carter, Troy’s wife and executive director of the Edison Arts Foundation, said in a Dec. 23 news release. “We are opening doors for young people, emerging artists and families who deserve meaningful opportunities to learn, create and see themselves reflected in the arts.”
The Carters also announced a $1.5 million partnership with H-E-B for naming rights to a 400-seat theater, which will open as part of phase 3.
The grocery store chain plans to give the arts center more funding as additional programs come up as part of their commitment to donate 5% of pre-tax earnings to Texas communities, said James Harris, H-E-B’s senior director of diversity and inclusion and supplier diversity.
The project also includes a 126-unit affordable housing complex, which has been fully occupied since 2021, Troy Carter said.
What’s next?
The arts center is “a fire inspection away” from opening, and expects to start taking in community members around February, Troy Carter said.
Meanwhile, phase 3 of the project—which will include retail partners and the theater—is expected to be ready in July or August.
