The future of Summerhall arts centre in Edinburgh has been thrown into doubt after news that the site has been put up for sale.
Established in 2011 by artist and businessman Robert McDowell, the venue is owned by McDowell’s family trust. It is understood Robert is against the sale, but was outvoted by his brothers who are frustrated at the loss-making nature of the business. Robert told the Guardian: ‘My brothers haven’t seen the transformative effect of a venue like Summerhall on the psyche of a city, because they don’t live here, so I can understand that the loss of it doesn’t feel as perilous to them as it does to me and many others.’
The former veterinary school is a key venue to the Edinburgh Fringe and the Edinburgh Art Festival, and has hosted exhibitions including Haroon Mirza, Pussy Riot, Laure Prouvost and Gregor Schneider.
‘We are second only to London’s Barbican in visitor numbers, but we host far more shows, events and performances’, McDowell said. ‘We exist to honour the founding principle of the first Edinburgh festivals, never more needed than now, ‘to heal the wounds of war through the languages of the arts’.’ The centre has also dedicated shows to Ukrainian, Bosnian and Syrian art over the past decade.
The building is being advertised with leases intact but is touted as ‘a thriving mixed-use investment with extensive refurbishment and redevelopment potential’.
