- The old structure where the Warehouse on Gaines Street once hosted local artists in College Town is set to be demolished for more student housing.
- Park Place Tallahassee, a nine-story, 150-unit building will open in its place in 2027.
- Watch now to hear from neighbors who are remembering it for its best days gone by.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Appreciating what was — while it's still standing.
"It helped me grow. And just gave me a loving group of people to foster that growth."
I'm Alberto Camargo, College Town neighborhood reporter.
For years, the Warehouse on Gaines Street has been abandoned, but soon it will be demolished.
As crews prepare to knock down the structure, I'm asking neighbors to reflect on what it meant to Tallahassee's art scene.
"Do you remember when we played Wheezer songs?
"Oh god!"
Maia Papaya and Zach Hurst are two people who remember the Warehouse fondly.
In fact, it ran in Maia's family.
"My parents would even come here in the 90s and they have great memories here."
Whether it was open mic nights, shows by local artists or just a game of pool, Maia says it was a space where everyone was welcome.
"You didn't have to be of a certain class, or race, or gender or anything. You could just be who you were, and the people there were ready to have a good time with you."
The Warehouse and the area around are being turned into yet more student housing.
Look at these renderings of what the nine-story Park Place Tallahassee will look like.
The property developer Park7 Group says it will have 150 units from studios to 5-bedrooms.
The top deck will have views of College Town and Doak Campbell Stadium.
While getting one last look at a place that meant so much to him — Zach was almost speechless.
"I don't know — It's kind of just hard to say goodbye to something that people have been coming to since the 80s."
I asked Maia if anything has or could ever replace the Warehouse.
She says it can't just be any new building, it needs to come with the community.
"The specialness of the Warehouse was all the love from the community -- coming together, accepting people of all sorts, you know? The only way that could be replicated is if loving people came together and built that again."
Demolition of the Warehouse is set for late spring or early summer, with the complex scheduled to open in 2027.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
