KDHX Moving To Grand Center -- Specifically, the Old Creepy Crawl Location

Community radio station KDHX announced today that it's moving its base of operations to 3524 Washington Boulevard. That's the location last occupied by the second iteration of the Creepy Crawl, which closed in December 2008. According to a press release, the station was gifted the building "to honor and commemorate the contributions of long-time operations manager Larry J. Weir, and to provide the opportunity for organizational growth to enhance the KDHX mission of building community through media." (View the entire release after the jump.)

The station won't be moving right away; renovation of the building will take about eighteen months. KDHX envisions the space to function as a radio station, media center and 150-seat "multi-use venue." To help fund this, the station has launched a four million dollar capital campaign, which it says "will pay for the necessary renovation, equipment upgrades and provide a $500,000 operating reserve to ensure the sustainability of the new facility upon completion."

More on this later.

KDHX, St. Louis' award-winning, independent, community radio and media arts organization, today announced it has received a gift of space in the Grand Center Arts and Entertainment District in mid-town St. Louis. The building is located in the heart of the district at 3524 Washington Ave.

This significant gift was given to the independent media arts organization in order to honor and commemorate the contributions of long-time operations manager Larry J. Weir, and to provide the opportunity for organizational growth to enhance the KDHX mission of building community through media.

KDHX has launched a 4 million dollar capital campaign in order to renovate the new facility specifically as a radio station, media center and 150-seat, multi-use venue. The new facility will offer vital operational efficiencies critical to enhancing the organization's mission, and its ability to serve its growing audience, volunteers and artists.

"For over 23 years, 88.1 KDHX has been broadcasting from a 100-year-old bakery building without adequate space for visiting artists and volunteers, while our media arts programs are produced in a separate facility and neighborhood," stated Beverly Hacker, co-executive director for KDHX. "A single location, built to green standards that consolidates the radio station with the media arts programs with much needed improvements to the live performance studio and production facilities, will enable us to increase our usable space, upgrade all of our equipment while reducing current operating expenses. We're thrilled to finally have the capacity to bump up the quality and quantity of our programs."

The Grand Center location of the new facility complements both KDHX's mission and the vision for the district. The area holds the highest concentration of cultural resources in the St. Louis region, offering over 1.5 million visitors each year numerous and varied arts and entertainment events. Institutions such as the Contemporary Art Museum, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, the Fox Theater, the Sheldon Concert Hall, Powell Symphony Hall and the Kranzberg Arts Center are among the many organizations that reside in the district. As a connector of different forms of creative production and a voice for other non-profit and arts institutions, KDHX will offer a fresh, street-level vitality and sound to the city's core arts and entertainment district.

In addition to providing more than 1,000 volunteers, enhanced physical space and production facility improvements, KDHX is in partnership with a food service venue to offer a street-level cafe for the public and a venue for live performances and film events.

The building renovation will require approximately 18 months. Capital Campaign funds will pay for the necessary renovation, equipment upgrades and provide a $500,000 operating reserve to ensure the sustainability of the new facility upon completion.