Art Pulse, a nonprofit service organization, has submitted a bid to buy the Pacific View Elementary School property and turn it into a community arts
center, with help from father and son architect team James and Drew Hubbell. 

Art Pulse has been spearheading an effort to create a regional arts council and envisions the now-vacant school building one day becoming the home for that council, creating an active arts center and cultural hub in Encinitas. 

Art Pulse was among a handful that submitted bids for the property, which is owned by the Encinitas Union School District. Community group Envision the View coalition (ETV) also submitted a similar proposal, which also calls for a cultural center that would benefit the community. The School Board is expected to make its recommendations of finalists by Jan. 27, with interviews taking place on or before Feb. 14. 

“The people of Encinitas are passionate, smart, and engaged. They know what they want and they genuinely care about their heritage and the future of this site,” said Art Pulse Executive Director April Game in a news release. “But in the end the decision lies with the school board and the superintendent. They have a responsibility to do what is best for the district, and I know they want to do what’s best for the city as well. We are grateful to be considered. I know this will be a difficult decision for them.”

If Art Pulse wins the bid, it will move operations from Liberty Station in Point Loma  to the site in Encinitas.

In an interview with Encinitas Patch, Game said Art Pulse’s concept would turn Pacific View into a center where artists could share their work and talents with the community. It would be a place where digital artists and photographers could have workspaces in the lower levels underground, and a place where painters and glass blowers could work in the fresh, open air. It would be a place that aims to culturally enrich the lives of Encinitas residents and provide them an educational resource.

“There are some very sophisticated minds behind this,” she said, adding that the concept was largely inspired by The Getty Research Institute.

Game — who lives not too far from Pacific View by Moonlight Beach — said she thinks our community is a natural fit for this sort of arts center, citing the high volume of artists who already live and work here and the other nearby attractions that would pull more visitors to the center, including Coast Highway 101 and the nearby train line.

Father and son architect team James and Drew Hubbell are also just the men for the job, she added, saying that brining them onboard for this project was “like peanut butter and jelly.” James Hubbell, now 81, has earned international attention for his work, has been featured on national TV, and has been the subject of two KPBS documentaries. Were he to have the opportunity to work on Pacific View, it could very well be one of his crowning achievements, Game said.

“There’s a lot of emotion invested in this and we’re one-hundred percent committed to seeing it through,” she said. 

Encinitas Patch will be following the School Board’s recommendations for the finalist bids on Pacific View, and will keep you posted. 

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