The refurbishment of the heritage building at 123 East Hastings Street began in 2008. The 3,000-square-foot interior was reconfigured to house smaller shared artist studios while the exterior was preserved to showcase its decorative Art Nouveau façade. Although artists thrived in this unique heritage space, the location next to Insite, Vancouver’s supervised injection site, proved to be problematic. After multiple break-ins and repeated vandalism, we decided not to renew the lease for 123 Hastings Street. Unfortunately, the Edwardian building now stands vacant.