314 CLEMATIS
A glimpse into the process, the mess, and the imperfections of purchasing our forever home…
Rough mockup of 314 Clematis by REG Architects
The past four months have been a whirlwind and an epic exercise in making big things happen.
1909 Board of Directors Strategic Planning: 11/2021
It was only this past November in a strategic meeting that our Team and Board of Directors began working on a 5-year plan to purchase a building. But our trajectory shifted quickly in February when we learned that one of our main options, 314 Clematis Street, had unsolicited offers of $10 million from real estate developers to acquire it outright. At the same time, we saw the rising rent costs Downtown and knew we had to act fast to create a place that would ensure long-term access to affordable space and support for Downtown’s Creator Class, Small Businesses, and our local community.
As a relatively small Nonprofit Organization, the process of purchasing a 29,181 sq ft building has not come easily. We’ve spent long days learning, processing, problem solving, and creating. We’ve had to ask for help every step of the way. It feels like we’re trying to drink water from a firehose. All the new information has been challenging to retain and it’s been hard not to get overwhelmed. There have been some really tough days. 😰
Thankfully, there were many people who kept us going. Together, we asked questions, we did the work, the research, and we prepared heavily for our presentation on May 16th in City Hall. And on that fateful day, the CRA Board selected our proposal and 1909 to be the purchaser of 314 Clematis Street!
We’ll be eternally grateful that the Commissioners who sit on the CRA Board saw and understood the value in our proposal and the long-term impact 1909 can have on the City of West Palm Beach. They bet on us…which is a good reminder of what is possible when a community of people stand up and share what they believe in. And now, here we are, with a successful bid to build our new home. 🙌
As we reflect, we feel nothing but immense gratitude for all the amazing souls around us.
We’re incredibly fortunate to have a Board of Directors, who, instead of defaulting to fear around this major trajectory shift, leaned in with enthusiasm and support. They pushed us to make important phone calls, set up critical meetings, and work the numbers over and over again. And through it all, they were a constant source of fuel and inspiration.
There were also many local businesses and community members who shared their skills and used their voices to support us. We felt all the walls dissolve in this process as the greater community stepped in to help us in this process.
Last, but most importantly, our 1909 Members and community is what makes all of this worth it. What we do everyday can be incredibly challenging, but it’s hard to call it work. It’s purposeful, exciting, inspiring, and rewarding. We get to create alongside 200+ Founders doing important, cool, and big things and who give a damn about building a better tomorrow. During this process they showed up. They showed up with helpful insights. They showed up with their connections. They showed up with their positive affirmations. And they showed up en masse at both CRA meetings. And they showed up f*cking tenaciously. 1909 is our community and 314 Clematis will be our new home.
This is just the beginning, the first step. We have a lot more work ahead of us and a lot more unknowns that we’ll come up against. But we trust that we’ll figure it out and will continue to have the support of our growing community along the way.
We can’t wait to see and experience what we create. Cheers to the process, the mess, the imperfection, the present, and the future. 🖤 🏴
– S, D, N
