City buys old church and monastery in Provinciestraat for… (Antwerp)
The city of Antwerp has bought the old Dominican Church and the associated monastery in the Provinciestraat. The site will be used for the expansion of the Atlas integration center in the Carnotstraat. “We are now investigating whether there is still room for culture, education or social services,” says alderman Annick De Ridder (N-VA).
Jan Stassins
Atlas, the integration of the city of Antwerp, starts expansion with an extra branch in the Provinciestraat-Plostraat. The city of Antwerp bought the old Dominican Church and the associated monastery from social housing company De Ideale Woning. It concerns an extension of Atlas, the current location in the Carnotstraat will also be preserved.
A number of organizations are still located in the former church and the old monastery, such as Antwerp Air, Kunsthal Extra City and Studio Start, Antwerp’s non-profit organization for artists and starters in the creative sector. They can stay there for the time being, certainly until the summer of 2022.
The results are then expected from a spatial study that examines whether there is still room for organizations of institutions in addition to Atlas. The old justice of the peace of Borgerhout is also included in the investigation. “We are looking at, among other things, the cultural basis, but also whether the site can be used for the expansion of an urban primary school in the Provinciestraat,” says Alderman of Spatial Planning Annick De Ridder (N-VA). “Social services, such as food distribution and day care, are also being investigated.”
Green courtyard becomes accessible
“The purchase of the church and the monastery passes in a broader urban project”, continues. “We strive for a flexible, future-proof and socio-cultural project. And that in consultation with public partners and the neighbourhood. The project should form a hinge between the residential area and the station environment. To become accessible to the green neighborhood, it will be subject to a number of public programs. This project will have a large yield for the entire neighbourhood, with which we will focus on the revaluation of the Kievitwijk.”