Eubie Blake Basement Concepts

About the Project

The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center supports artists in performing and visual arts while bringing light to the contributions that African-Americans and Baltimoreans have made in Fine Arts.

This project explored the different possibilities for renovating and repurposing the basement to allow for podcasting and additional artist studio space. This pro bono project is part of our Arts Space Technical Assistance (ASTA) program, with designs by NDC’s Karla Brent and Jacie Peacock.

The Vision

The basement renovation plan includes demolishing walls to create larger programmable areas including the following:

Look and Feel

The feedback we received included preferences for spacious, clean, neutral, and industrial. The conceptual design retains some of the basement’s industrial features while incorporating neutral finishes. Minimal furnishings and finishes will allow for customized podcast sets to stand out.

Meeting Code

As with our other ASTA projects, we research existing site conditions and make sure all aspects meet today’s safety and accessibility standards. Our designs incorporate proper egress, sprinkler systems, required restrooms, and accessibility. The basement level can be accessed from an elevator. The ground level entrance to the building is accessible via a ramp located at the rear parking lot.

One major factor in this project were the varied ceiling heights. The front area is about 8 feet while the rear area is only 7. According to the International Building Code, all occupiable spaces must have a ceiling height of at least 7’-6”, while storage rooms must have a ceiling height of at least 7’-0”. To comply with this requirement, the proposed conceptual design designates the front area for programming and reserves the rear area for storage only.