Evanston Children’s Choir May Stay at Noyes

One week after the Evanston Children’s Choir learned that the group might lose its space at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for a $2.2 million expansion of Piven Theatre, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl stepped in. 

The children’s choir was one of two tenants expected to lose space to make room for Piven’s planned expansion in the city-operated building. City manager Wally Bobkiewicz used the criteria of seniority within the building to make the decision that Evanston Children’s Choir would have to go, based on the fact that it was the newest tenant in the building. 

At Monday’s city council meeting, however, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl announced that the Noyes plans should go back to the drawing board. 

Earlier: Evanston Children's Choir Faces Eviction From Noyes

“Having so many artists that they do not all fit into two arts buildings is a wonderful problem to have. That being said, it is a problem,” the mayor said. “While I am supportive of this opportunity for Piven to expand its operations at Noyes, I am concerned about the final process that brings this agreement to a conclusion.” 

Tisdahl said she had asked city manager Wally Bobkiewicz to come up with a new set of criteria to determine which artists should lose space at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, considering other factors besides seniority.

“Revised criteria should first consider if an artist or arts organization is Evanston based and the number of Evanston residents served by the artist or arts organization,” Tisdahl said.

Bobkiewicz said he would develop the new criteria and come back with a new plan to the human services committee at a meeting on May 6. He told Patch on Tuesday that he did not yet know which artists, if any, would lose space.

Bobkiewicz also said he had notified the Evanston Children’s Choir and textile artist Maggie Weiss that they would not lose their spaces. Under the reorganization opposed by the mayor, Weiss would have had to move her studio to the basement, where she said the water levels would seriously damage her textiles. 

A move to the basement, she told Patch last week, “could be interpreted as an invitation for me to leave the building.” 

While reorganization of the space at Noyes is in flux, the terms of Piven’s proposed expansion have also yet to be worked out. Under the most recent proposal, the 40-year-old organization plans to construct the expansion with a $2.2 million loan from the city. In order to secure the loan, Piven Theatre must raise $355,000 by the end of the year and commit to in-kind contributions such as legal and architectural work. Piven would enter into a 25-year lease with the city and repay the loan over a 30-year term at simple two percent interest. 

Artists who are renting space at Noyes say they are supportive of Piven, but believe there should be a solution that accommodates everyone, according to Maggie Weiss, who is also president of the tenants’ association.

“We think there’s room to accommodate people, but Piven has been inflexible and the city has not demanded any changes from Piven,” she told Patch last week. “I would think it’s fair to say that there’s a lot of support for Piven here, but the way this decision-making process has proceeded has left people flabbergasted and dismayed.” 

Plans for the Piven expansion and reorganization at Noyes will be discussed at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 6, during a public meeting at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave. in Evanston.