UPDATE: One of the bidders has been revealed — the advisory board of the Louisiana Civil Rights Museum.
There are two mystery bidders out there for the Louisiana ArtWorks building, The Lens reports. Yesterday was the deadline for submitting bids on the giant art complex fail, and the broker in charge said four bids were handed in. Sadly, that's all the spilling of the beans we know of (for now) but feel free to share what you know on the tipline.
For those just tuning in, the Launch Pad co-founders submitted a bid to turn the Lee Circle-area structure into a space that would "remain true to the original ArtWorks vision" while incorporating Launch Pad's collaborative workspace and entrepreneurial business model. The other group with their names in the hat want the 93,000-square foot space to be the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI, like gnocchi, how cute). The cats behind that game plan? Local restaurant owners Dickie Brennan, Ti Martin, and John Besh, plus Delgado Community College, Tulane University, and the University of New Orleans. The Lens got a hold of a copy of their bid and NOCHI offered $5.1-million for the building. The letters of intent are being pored over now by Corporate Realty and they plan on announcing a finalist on Wednesday, December 11.
· Culinary institute and art spaces among four bids for failed Lee Circle complex [The Lens]
· ArtWorks building coverage [Curbed NOLA]