54 West Church Street Art Space

The City of Orlando's Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and Procurement and Contracts Division are soliciting proposals through Request for Proposal (RFP26-0030) for the reimagining and activation of the 54 West Church Street arts space, formerly home to the Mad Cow Theatre and Fringe Arts Space. The procurement seeks a creative partner to operate an approximately 9,000-square-foot venue featuring a 167-seat stadium theatre and a 66-capacity soundproof black box theatre. Proposers must demonstrate at least three years of experience in arts production and venue management, with the ability to develop programming across theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, multimedia, and conceptual arts. The City anticipates a five-year management and operation agreement with potential renewal options. Mandatory pre-proposal conferences are scheduled for January 15, 2026, at 3:00 PM and January 28, 2026, at 1:00 PM, both at the 54 West Church Street location. Questions must be submitted by February 9, 2026, at 5:00 PM, with electronic proposals due by February 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM. Evaluation criteria will weight operational plan at 25%, marketing and community impact at 25%, artistic vision at 20%, management team experience at 20%, renovation plan at 8%, and veteran business enterprise participation at 2%.

The solicitation does not explicitly restrict responses to specific types of organizations, but requires proposers to show financial capacity for renovations and demonstrate success in urban arts programming. Proposers must submit a three-year operating budget, sustainability plan, marketing strategy, renovation plan with budget, and artistic vision statement. The financial structure includes a nominal annual rent of $1, with monthly operational costs of approximately $5,500, comprising $2,500 in Common Area Maintenance charges and estimated $3,000 in monthly utilities. Successful proposers must comply with Florida's living wage policy of $15.00 per hour for covered service positions, E-Verify employment eligibility verification, drug-free workplace certification, and non-discrimination requirements. The City reserves the right to reject any proposals and retains full discretion in the selection process. While no specific incumbent vendor is mentioned, the solicitation provides comprehensive as-built documentation for the facility, including five detailed architectural drawings that will help potential operators understand the space's current configuration and infrastructure.