De Van der Steur gymzalen, 1928

In late 2021, a gym located at Boergoensevliet / Zegenstraat, Rotterdam, was closed by order of the mayor after drugs, weapons, ammunition, and a cannabis plantation were discovered on the premises. The gymnasiums were designed by the renowned Rotterdam city architect Van der Steur in 1928.

The complex is a piece of social real estate (maatschappelijk vastgoed), and as direct neighbors and artists, we took the initiative that same month to write a letter to Mayor Aboutaleb, asking if the building could be repurposed for community use. The letter received a positive response, and, together with the neighborhood manager and a policy advisor, a group of residents, artists, and curators began exploring all possibilities within the municipality.

Two weeks before our planned opening we received the keys. Finally started exploring the buildings and its possibilities.