Warehouse 317 Collective is growing! Come be a part of it!

Hey friends of Warehouse 317 Collective and Odin’s Underground!

Over the last three years, Jeff and I have put everything we have – physically, emotionally, and financially – into transforming this old produce warehouse into a true cultural hub for Old Manchester and the larger community. Every step forward we’ve taken, we’ve been met with obstacles that have felt, at times, insurmountable. But we have thus far climbed over those obstacles and kept on going.

Our original goal was to find a small space, maybe 1500 square feet, to build a hardcore punk and metal recording studio. After 18 months of searching, we found way more than we anticipated – a 26,000 square foot warehouse, sitting empty for three years right on Hull Street. Could it be real? Could it be ours? Could it be rehabilitated? Following a lot of thought and conversation, we realized that indeed it was real and it could be (sort of) ours. We figured we’d just have to get in it to see about the actual rehabilitation.

WHERE WE'VE BEEN:

We signed a lease in June of 2023 and took our first step on this new path. Every step has revealed more possibilities, built stronger relationships with those who have joined us and those who have supported us, and left us with an understanding that we have an opportunity to do something fairly unique in Richmond. From summer of 2023 until now, we have welcomed several other folks into our fold, creating the Warehouse 317 Collective. And from that, almost exactly a year ago, on September 17, 2025, Warehouse 317, Inc. was founded, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to provide creative professionals and hobbyists with space to express their creativity openly and share it with the community.

Too often, re/development happens from the top down, led by large real estate developers and deep-pocketed players in the Richmond scene. If you’ve been to Warehouse 317, you know we’re the antithesis of that. We are a collective of self-funded creative professionals determined to prove that grassroots, DIY redevelopment is not only possible, but a necessary part of a city’s overall development plans. Everyone in our collective plays a part in implementing our vision of building a community legacy that inspires others to embody the ethos of “DIY the world you want to see”. And now it’s time for Warehouse 317 Collective to open our doors to the next level of community involvement and growth in our mission.

We are finally reaching a point of understanding with the City of Richmond as to what they will actually allow us to do at 317 Hull Street. It wasn’t until May of this year that city officials were even able to find an existing Certificate of Occupancy for this address. The city’s Zoning Department has clearly stated that everything we have planned for this space* fits within the city’s zoning code for this district, and meets all of the requirements to fit into the planned Code Refresh. The City Planning and Development Review Department, however, requires substantial infrastructure upgrades to the existing building in order to approve a change of use class to A3-Assembly for the lower level of the building and the shared space on the main level.

These infrastructure upgrades consist of additional paths of egress from the lower level, and potentially sprinkler systems for any areas classed as A3-Assembly. The actual requirements and cost of these upgrades are still being determined, but we anticipate it falling in the range of $200K-$250K. It’s a big chunk of money, but that’s where the “collective” part comes in.

WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Over these past three years we have heard “Richmond really needs this” from countless people who have come through our doors and had that “whoa” experience that we had when we first took on this project. We’ve also been assured that those same folks have our back and want to be part of achieving the goals of the collective. So now we are calling on all of you to step up and become members of the collective so we can:

A.      continue to satisfy the monthly financial requirements of our lease and the accompanying expenses of keeping this big ol’ building running,

B.      raise funds to complete the infrastructure upgrades required by the city’s Planning and Development Review Department, and

C.      grow the collective to be as culturally and artistically diverse as our imaginations will allow.

Are you on board?

If so, please join us for an informational meeting on Thursday, September 17, at 6:00 pm!

If you can’t attend in person, you can join remotely via this Meeting Link.

The meeting will last about an hour with additional time for Q&A and will be recorded for later viewing if neither of these options works for your schedule!

Members can:

·       Have 24-hour access to the publicly shared spaces within 317 Hull Street

·       Schedule time on our calendar to work on DIY creative projects

·       Host workshops and meetups

·       Simply exist as human beings in our shared spaces

Members can sign up for volunteer shifts on upcoming events and projects and will receive free or reduced admission to events hosted by Warehouse 317, Inc. or Odin’s Underground. Members are expected to help keep the building and surrounding lot clean so it's able to be enjoyed by all of us!

Membership pricing is yet to be determined and will be discussed during this meeting, however, we're considering a tiered approach from $50-$125/month, depending on how involved you want to be.

*What’s in the works at 317 Hull Street:

1.      Community gathering space for cultural events – music, art, film, photography, theatre, celebrations, and more

2.      Recording studio and live rooms

3.      Gallery

4.      Creative studios – set building, 3D-printing, C and C, musical instruction, podcast/DJ livestreaming, and more

5.      Rehearsal space

6.      Pop-up markets

7.      Farmer’s market

8.      Urban greening – rooftop project

xx, natalie