Established on Sept. 11, 2002, the Capitol Hill Arts Center resides in a brick and timber warehouse located at 1621 12th Ave. The building had previously been home to the Morningside Academy and Serpentine Studios, and was originally built as an auto showroom back in 1917. The Capitol Hill Arts Center is now home to three performance venues, all of which accommodate groundbreaking neighborhood-oriented events.

With the intention of supporting local artists and producers, the CHAC has slowly become a focal point for fostering community and artistic growth on Capitol Hill. The center's lounge offers free WiFi access, food and coffee for the morning patrons and cocktails for the evening crowd. The CHAC also offers space for rent for private parties and events; anything ranging from a birthday to a clandestine musical performance.

Upcoming events include an Electric Avenue Electro/House/Techno show tomorrow, which is free and on the CHAC's lower level, but is 21 and over. There will also be something called an ECSC Rare Soul Weekender Main Event the next day in the Showroom. This event is 21 and over, $30 and features live performances by J.J. Barnes, The Brothers of Soul and will end in an '80s dance party on the lower level, which is $6 for the general public.

Formed by Rebirth Productions and led by Matthew Kwatinetz, the CHAC was the product of a citywide festival, called the Waging Peace Festival, which was made possible more than 100 artists, more than 20 organizations and five venues. Rebirth Productions did some research and figured out a way to acquire the space on 12th Avenue for the long term and in doing so, provided an urban home for regular performances, local artist growth and developing social awareness. The idea was to help the creative artists and companies of the region flourish and experience exponential growth.

In order to establish their vision, Rebirth Productions began a sister company called Renaissance, which ultimately became tthe CHAC. They decided to deviate from the traditional not-for-profit models of these types of organizations, and instead became one of the few for-profit art centers this side of the Mississippi. The CHAC now follows the linked prosperity model of sustainable business pioneered by the early management of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. In a number of words, this means that they analyze not only profit, but a variety of factors including their community value, the innovations they've made, the quality of their events and other endeavors and finally, the sustainability of the organization.

Capitol Hill Arts Center has a fast-growing community outside of its 12th Avenue home, which includes both organizations and artists, related to not only the visual and performing arts, but also the culinary arts. Thousands of people each week filter through the doors of the center, and its popular theatre arm has spun off into a group called Theater Under Ground, which recently produced the critically acclaimed 80 minute, three-actor production of Crime and Punishment.

There are a large variety of opportunities at CHAC for the artisticly oriented individuals that thrive on Capitol Hill and all over Seattle. It has a hand in granting money and space to these artists, and will undoubtedly be a driving force in Capitol Hill's artistic community for years to come.