Looks to build upstate campus for artists
R&B star Alicia Keys and her producer husband Swizz Beatz are hoping to build a state-of-the art music facility on a 111-acre industrial site in upstate New York.
The sprawling campus would include a concert venue, classroom space, and an exhibit hall, according to a proposal floated at a town board meeting in the town of Macedon in Wayne County on Thursday.
The couple’s lawyer, Linda Shaw, introduced the plan to ask for zoning approval to build the new space, according the Democrat & Chronicle.
Keys, a grammy-winning artist and former judge on “The Voice,” and her husband, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, are both native New Yorkers and longtime supporters of the arts.
The site of the proposed facility is about 30 minutes outside of Rochester, and a little over an hour from Watkins Glen Racetrack, the location of another ambitious — but failed — musical venture: the now-defunct Woodstock 50th Anniversary concert.
The anniversary show to commemorate the iconic 1969 festival, was set to feature the Black Keys, but collapsed over concerns about the venue’s viability.
A second, unrelated anniversary concert featuring Ringo Starr is scheduled for this weekend in upstate Bethel, the site of the original concert.
Keys’ plan, if it comes to fruition, will tap into the rich musical and artistic history of the region.
The new campus will be a part of the Dean Collection, an initiative the couple started to support artists, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
It could eventually feature living and exercise space for artists as well, and will face a vote for approval from town officials later in August.
The couple has already reportedly signed a contract to purchase the land, which is valued at over $2 million.