Residential and Work Studios at AS220

AS220 offers residential and work studios in three buildings: 115 Empire Street, which is commonly referred to as "Floor 3", the Dreyfus Building, on the corner of Mathewson Street and Washington Street and the Mercantile Block, neighboring the Dreyfus at 131 Washington Street. AS220 provides space to artists who seek a diverse, stable and affordable studio environment. The residents of the third floor of Empire Street and the Dreyfus and the Mercantile Block studios are a community of ideas rather than simply a community of tenants. Our goal is to create a cooperative living environment driven by the artistic energy of its inhabitants. While most of our tenants are working artists, if your involvement in the arts is not directly through creation but supports creative community in some other way, you can still become a resident at AS220. When you apply, include an explanation of how you would participate with and benefit from the creative community at AS220 with your support materials.

AS220 seeks artists and members of the creative community who demonstrate a serious commitment to their creative work and a genuine need for affordable space. In addition, most of our residential units have income restrictions. If you make less than $26,500 annually, you qualify for our "low-income" studios in the Dreyfus and Empire Street, while the Mercantile has a range of income restricted units with varying income caps. There are also residential studios at the Dreyfus and the Mercantile Block where there is no income cap.

Available Space

There are currently one or more vacancies.

Empire Street Live/Work Studio: Available Immediately - 245 sq ft - $350 per month. This is an affordable space and the tenant's yearly income should not exceed $25,250 for one person. Accommodations include a private room, but the kitchen and bath facilities are shared. Artists-in-Residence at Empire Street must be committed to its cooperative living structure which requires communal chores, a $10 monthly kitty fee for shared items like dish soap, attendance at monthly floor meetings, respectful use of common facilities and a general good will. Rent includes electric, heat, hot water, internet access and trash pickup charges. We do not provide parking, so if you need parking you should consider the additional expense of a lot in the area. There is a monthly 5 hour AS220 community service expectation for the tenants of Empire Street. Building is smoke free and pet free, bring your goldfish but not your dog.
Applications due Thursday, February 9th at 5pm
Applications available at: http://www.as220.org/Live-Work-App-2011.pdf - see more info on the application process below.

If there are not spaces currently available that meet your needs you can contact Susan Clausen to be placed on a work or live studio vacancy alert lists at susan@as220.org or by calling 401-831-9327.

General Information
None of the buildings provide parking and our buildings are all smoke free. Each artist is responsible for 5 hours per month in community service within AS220, and is responsible for respectful use of any shared facilities. All leases for residential and work studios have one year terms. Rent includes 24 hour access and basic maintenance.

Residential and Work Studios at Empire Street google map

Empire Street has 11 residential studios that range from 245 sq ft to 410 sq ft. Rent for these spaces range from $333 to $446 and include all utilities. The Empire Street residences are reserved for artists who qualify for low income housing by earning less than $25,250 annually. Accommodations include a private room, but the kitchen and bath facilities are shared. Artists-in-Residence at Empire Street must be committed to its cooperative living structure which requires communal chores, attendance at monthly floor meetings, respectful use of common facilities and a general good will. There is a 5 year term limit for residencies on Empire Street. Every month, a visiting Artist-in-Residence lives and works in a studio on Floor 3 reserved specifically for this purpose. On the second floor of Empire Street are four studios reserved exclusively for work, ranging in size from 180 sq ft to 320 sq ft and range in rent from $98 to $226 and include all utilities. Accommodations include a private studio space and use of communal clean-up facilities. Work studio artists must be committed to a communal working environment.

To learn more about the building visit the Empire Street page.

Residential and Work Studios at the Dreyfus google map

The Dreyfus offers 11 low income residential studios that range from 356 to 515 sq ft. Rent for these spaces range from $435 to $611. Three studios are also available to artists who earn more than the income cap of $$25,250 annually. They range from 485 to 495 sq ft with rents between $849 and $902. Accommodations include a private studio apartment with a kitchenette and private bathroom. Dreyfus rent includes heat, AC and hot water; however, tenants pay their own electric bill. There are three second floor studios reserved exclusively for work ranging in size from 140 square feet to 518 square feet with rents from $188 to $265, including all utilities. In lieu of their new digs, AS220's former print shop was also converted to a two room work studio rental with a monthly rent of $550. Accommodations for work studios include private space plus use of communal clean-up facilities.

To download floor plans and see more photographs of the building visit the Dreyfus page.

Residential and Work Studios at the Mercantile google map
Floors 3 & 4 of the Mercantile contain a total of 22 residential studios ranging in size from 600 to 880 sq ft. Each residence has its own bathroom with tub/shower and a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator and electric stove. Each residence is also equipped with tenant controlled heat and central AC plus an old-fashioned ceiling fan. Residential laundry facilities are located on the buildings 4th floor. The residential entry at 131 Washington Street leads to the lobby equipped with a passenger elevator, a bicycle storage area and mailbox alcove. Rents for 16 out of the 22 residential studios are affordable and a tenants yearly income may not exceed a specified maximum; the remaining 6 studios have no income restrictions. Second, third and fourth floor rent includes gas (heat and hot water), water and sewer charges; but tenants are responsible for the cost of electricity in their unit. Residential studios also enjoy free internet access.

The second floor of the Mercantile contains eleven work and arts related studio spaces, several of which have been joined to provide larger spaces. The second floor's tenant mix includes two AS220 programs: the Print Shop and AS220 Labs; non-profit organizations such as College Visions and the Rhode Island Council on the Humanities (RICH); and three individual work studios. Rents include private studio space and use of all shared facilities including two bathrooms on Floor 2.

To download floor plans and see more photographs of the building visit the Mercantile Building page.

The Application Process

Interested applicants will be reviewed by an in-house Selection Committee that will evaluate the application for completeness and verify income qualification. Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by this small group of representatives from the AS220 and the larger community.

Download The Application (3.2 mb PDF)
You can use this form to submit your application to live in any of AS220's three buildings.

Completed applications may be emailed, mailed, faxed or handed in person to:

AS220 Property Management
attn: Susan Clausen / Kelly Orr
95 Mathewson Street #204
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: 401-831-9327
Fax: 401-454-7445