El Rey Work Party!
Many thanks to everyone who attended our most recent work party at the El Rey on June 6th and 7th and made it a huge success.
Our open call for folks to come and assist with the ongoing rehabilitation of the space brought out a host of volunteers who showed up to lend a hand in reviving the property. The crew for the day was an inspiring mix of experienced builders, painters, and construction workers who knew their way around a building like the El Rey and less seasoned volunteers who were prepared and eager to jump in wherever their help was needed.
(Does this sound like you? Come out for out next El Rey work party on Saturday August 1st and Saturday August 15th 10am - 4pm. SIGN UP)
Every work party we hold is a testament to the amazing amount of work our dedicated crew of community members can accomplish in just a day, and the most recent event was no exception.
Together we painted the entryway, swept the floors, cleared out debris and knocked out a few unnecessary walls. We also had plenty of work to do patching walls. As part of the exploratory work to prep the El Rey for its transition to a CAM property, the team at BNBuilders drilled holes in the El Rey’s walls to better understand how the building connects to its neighboring properties. This work party was a perfect moment to patch up those holes and get them ready for finishing.
Among the more challenging jobs we tackled was clean-up around an old soda machine that had been damaged while the building was vacant. A large puddle of sugary goo had leaked from the machine, spread across the floor, and hardened into a one-of-a-kind mess none of us will soon forget. Cleaning up this Willy Wonka nightmare took hours of scrubbing, but on the plus side, once we were done the entire room smelled like a candy factory!
These work parties aren’t just about cleaning up syrup spills that are old enough to enroll in kindergarten. With each round of volunteer-led effort, we learn more about the El Rey, and it’s a welcome surprise how many of the things we learn are positive. For instance, when we removed a series of old ceiling panels that need replacement, we discovered that the ceiling above them is much higher than we realized, providing us with even more room to work with.
In addition to repairing and exploring the El Rey, these work parties let us take small but meaningful steps towards our vision of what it can become. At the latest work party, volunteers spent time transforming one of the rooms into a small garden. Our ultimate goal is to make the El Rey a space that’s thriving and full of life, so it feels right to have something growing as we work together to make that vision a reality.
That reality won’t arrive without a lot more work parties, though, and we are asking for your hands. Whoever you are, and whatever your level of skill and experience, we welcome your energy and effort at future work parties, like the one coming up Saturday August 1st and Saturday August 15th 10am - 4pm. SIGN UP
Whether you’ve got years of construction experience to share or need to be shown which end of the mop gets pointed at the syrup puddle, we hope you’ll come down to be part of the community reinventing the El Rey. And if work parties aren’t your thing, there’s no shortage of other ways to get involved - just fill out our volunteer form to let us know who you are and how you want to help, and we’ll be in touch!
We’re grateful to everyone who showed up and got dirty with us, and to everyone who is ready to show up next time. Every wall we patch and floor we clean brings us closer to creating a home for affordable housing, artists, organizations, programs, and community. We look forward to seeing you soon!
