Save Arbor Vitae

Save Arbor Vitae -- Vitae Needs Your Help


Arbor Vitae is a 6-person co-op and one of the last significant counterculture spaces for collaborative art left in Ann Arbor. This beautiful and spacious loft has a rich history dating back to the late 1800's... it was a speakeasy & a dance hall before being converted into a living space by Rich Ahern in 1962. It has hosted thousands of bands, artistic performances, political organizing meetings, and prior to Rich’s death in 2004, talks by luminaries such as the Dalai Lama and Timothy Leary.  In fact, Rich was the first person to invite the Dalai Lama to Ann Arbor in 1979. Much of Ann Arbor's "weirdness" of the last 50 years owes itself to Arbor Vitae, as a place which actively invited and made room for conversations outside of the mainstream. 

Arbor Vitae is one of the only safe places left in A2 for live music, community organization, DIY art, and a diverse circle of people taking care of each other and valuing each other’s work. Vitae’s radical history is apparent the moment you reach the top of the stairs - and for many people, it is the first and perhaps only chance for them to be in a space so shaped by the ideals of peace, justice, art, and music without a need for profit. It is an affordable place to live downtown for workers and students alike, one of the last places downtown where people can live cheaply in community.

Vitae is also an old space, full of creaks and leaks. In the most recent series of city inspections, the heating system has been deemed by the city to be insufficient. Fixing or replacing the heating system for a place of Arbor Vitae’s size and age is an expensive undertaking. The residents of Arbor Vitae were given notice by the property managers to be out by September 30th or face eviction proceedings.


Vitae is not alone in facing existential threats. The profit motive of urbanization is pressurizing downtown Ann Arbor, making it harder for unusual places to exist. The corporatization of our liberal city centers is destroying the very spaces and communities - artistic, affordable spaces - which have made these cities culturally valuable. Ann Arbor has historically been a sanctuary for artists, weirdos, and those willing to dream of better, different worlds. Thanks to Rich Ahern, Arbor Vitae’s many residents, and the extensive community which surrounds and supports this space, Vitae is one of the last places in Ann Arbor where these dreams live. And we’re going to fight for it.

Current residents are meeting with lawyers and long-time community members and determining the best way to move forward. Options are being investigated as to which will offer the most protections to both the space & legacy of Arbor Vitae and to current residents, who are facing an unexpected and rapid relocation from their home. 

 


IN SUMMARY: 

In order for Arbor Vitae to remain the sanctuary for radical thought that it has always been, we need to negotiate to fix the heating system & current residents need to move out for this winter at least.


Funds raised at this GoFundMe will go toward:

- Possible renovations that would make the space safe, habitable for Arbor Vitae’s future, and the costs of developing a viable plan
- Preserving Rich Ahern’s art & memory 
- Legal fees
- Costs of cleaning and vacating Vitae (necessary regardless of the future of the space)
- Food & possibly moving costs for current residents displaced at the end of September

Do you care about Vitae? Stay in touch. Think you have service or expertise to offer? Reach out.  More updates to come.