The Ann Arbor Art Center is getting ready to paint the last brush strokes on its newly expanded home in downtown Ann Arbor.

The Art Center recently sold its space on Felch Street just outside downtown. That moved allowed it to revamp and expand its space on Liberty Street near downtown. The center reclaimed some space it was leasing out and is putting its ceramic and jewelry studios in the building's 8,000 square feet. Work is expected to wrap up by the end of this month.

"One of the efforts was to redo the interior space to use it more efficiently," says Marsha Chamberlin, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor Art Center. "We also wanted to make it more open to the public."

The 3-store building opened in 1886 as the Walker Carriage Works, making buggies. It later became a furniture store and funeral home where it made both wood furniture and coffins. It then served as part of Sears storefronts in downtown for years before it became the Ann Arbor Art Center's home.

Source: Marsha Chamberlin, president and CEO of the Ann Arbor Art Center
Writer: Jon Zemke