Call to Action!
The Bergamot Station Gallery & Cultural Association (BSGCA) is
reaching out to the arts community and the public to inform you of the
imminent destruction of Bergamot Station Arts Center, should the City of
Santa Monica proceed with
its current development plans. Dozens of
business owners, hundreds of employees, and an endless number of
artists and their families as well as the Santa Monica arts community at
large, are in serious jeopardy.
We need your support in an effort to save Bergamot Station from
overdevelopment. We do not want another Grove or Shopping Mall to
replace this unique and historic complex, which has thrived against all
odds for over 20 years as well as providing exceptional arts programming
and community service. All three development teams under consideration
for the contract with the City of Santa Monica propose a massive
overhaul to the property which will result in the disruption and closure
of many of our businesses.
Current development proposals threaten to:
DECREASE THE NUMBER OF ART GALLERIES
ADD RETAIL SPACE
ADD CREATIVE OFFICES
ADD A HOTEL
ADD BARS AND RESTAURANTS
ADD UNDERGROUND PARKING, WHICH WILL DESTROY BUSINESSES ONSITE AND
WILL NOT ACCOMMODATE THE NUMBER OF TENANTS WHO WILL BE ADDED TO THE SITE
We, as over 40 art galleries and cultural businesses, respectfully
cannot support the City’s plan to turn Bergamot Station into one of
these three concepts:
THESE ARE NOT OPTIONS!
They threaten the heart and soul of Bergamot Station as we know it.
We ask our patrons, associates, friends, artists, and supporters to
help us preserve our businesses and our beloved community of galleries
and arts related businesses by signing a petition to request that the
City of Santa Monica Officials cease plans for redevelopment until the
survival of the core tenants of Bergamot Station is ensured.
Please sign our petition HERE before the Santa
Monica City Council votes on this issue in the next few weeks. Leave a
comment as to why the preservation of our station is important to you,
share the petition with your friends, and contact council members and
let them know you support our cause.
