Arts on View asks for another $100K to renovate Hermann’s and View Street Social

Arts on View Society, the group that operates Hermann’s Jazz Club and View Street Social, are asking for another $100,000 to complete their crowdfunded renovations. 

In March, the society launched a crowdfund campaign in order to pay off old debts and fund some renovations needed in the two spaces. 

The campaign quickly succeeded and Arts on View ended up surpassing their goal of raising $450,000 for the endeavour. 

Now, seven months later, the society is hoping to garner between another $70,000 and $100,000 in pledges from the community to finish the work they started. 

“Thank you for stepping forward to help save Hermann’s,” wrote Al Smith, interim executive director and chair of Arts on View, in an update to the projects’ progress. 

“Your generosity has made the work so far possible, and we want to give you a clear update on how your donations have been used and the unexpected challenges we have encountered.”

In the update, Smith provided a breakdown of the money spent on the project thus far. 

From April 29th to October 16th, Arts on View is reporting $490,763 spent. Most went towards paying off debts. 

See the breakdown of costs below:

• CRA obligations – $163,138
• Historical expense debts – $45,109
• Employment standards case lost to former executive director – $58,987
• Archival bookkeeping – $9,214
• Ongoing operating costs – $70,642
• Renovations and equipment – $143,673

As of October 16th, Arts on View has spent $490,763. 

For clarification, Smith noted that the employment standards case lost was for the severance payment towards the former executive director.

He also explained in the update that the $143,673 spent on renovations and equipment included construction, design and planning, kitchen equipment, draught equipment, electrical and refrigeration work, carpet, speakers, junk removal and staff labour related to the renovations.

“Saving Hermann’s has meant addressing past financial obligations while also funding improvements and meeting continuing expenses,” wrote Smith. 

“We want to be transparent about those costs so you can see how your contributions have been used.”

What the extra $100,000 is needed for

According to Arts on View, additional work was identified during the renovation process involving the concrete floor and pillars that was not anticipated. 

Smith noted that the landlord, which is the City of Victoria, helped with these costs.

A City spokesperson told Victoria Buzz that as landlord, the City of Victoria paid for the entirety of these structural and concrete flooring fixes.

Approximately $58,000 was invested into the structural and flooring issues, as those base building elements were the landlord’s responsibility under the lease. 

Additionally, the City noted that the first three months of rent were waived, which coincides with the originally estimated three-month project schedule.

The City also noted that no funds were contributed to the other aspects of the project, as those costs fall to the tenant under the lease.

Arts on View says that because the project was pushed back by two months to complete the concrete and pillar work, ongoing operating costs have created a need for more funding. 

Now, the society is turning to the community once again to pay for costs such as rent, hydro, water, software, insurance, staffing and various contracts. 

Smith claims these costs range from $35,000 to $50,000 per month. 

“We promised to be transparent with you, through both progress and setbacks, and we intend to honour that promise,” explained Smith. 

“We now need another $70,000 to $100,000 to complete the project.”

Arts on View have released a video along with their request for another $100,000 that details the projects’ progress. See the video below:

Once completed, Smith says the plan remains the same—Hermann’s will remain a jazz club and View Street Social will remain a cultural bar with karaoke. 

He noted that no announcements have been made regarding a re-opening date, but the projects are both very close to completion. He added that View Street Social will likely be open before Hermann’s. 

As of this publication, View Street Social’s second crowdfund campaign has garnered $17,585 of their $100,000 goal. 

Find out more about the Save Hermann’s and View Street Social campaign online here. 

It is notable that Smith is also a co-owner of The Coda, the live music venue which operates as a private business and is located just above Hermann’s Jazz Club and View Street Social. 

During renovations, The Coda has put on several shows of bands that were meant to play at Hermann’s.