EVENT VENUE & STUDIO RENTAL

FOR LIFE CELEBRATIONS…

Gas Design Center is available for evening and weekend event rentals as well as day rental for a photography studio.

Tuscumbia’s blue skies and lush foliage are abundant throughout both its urban and rural areas. These attributes, in addition to the city’s beautiful Southern architecture, various landscapes, and low cost of living make Tuscumbia ideal for most types of photography and filming.

Download the venue rental form here and contact info@gasdc.com to learn more.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

GAS Design Center offers a four week Artist-in-Residence program during the summer months. The Artist-in-Residence will spend a month working on design and photography projects. This is a hands on opportunity to learn the day in and day out of commercial design and photography. The program is open to artists or students who wish to experience, learn and fulfill an academic requirement. GAS encourages continuing education in a relaxed, professional atmosphere.

Download the application here.

OUR BUILDING’S HISTORY

The property was initially part of Franklin County, but the records from 1819 to 1867 were destroyed in a fire at the Franklin County Courthouse. The property is now a part of Colbert County, and the records from the period are currently available.

October 28, 1820: The property was in the town of Cold Water, which was later renamed Tuscumbia.

March 6, 1871: George Creamer sold the property to Gus A. Henry

April 21, 1873: Gus a Henry sold the estate to Arthur Keller for $250.00.

December 1873: Arthur Keller sold the property to William Johnson, Calvin P. Simmons lived in the house, and it became known as the Port Simpson House.

February 12, 1880: William Johnson sold the property to Colbert County. Johnson was instructed to tear down the two houses and build a two-story brick store with a counting room, store room, and bedroom.

January 24, 1887: William Johnson sold the property to, Arthur Keller.

December 22, 1896: Arthur Keller died and left the building to his wife Kate and their children Helen, Mildred, and Phillips. Ike Hyde occupied the store house, and it was called Hyde Store.

March 25, 1901: Kate Keller sold the building to D.O. Mathews Supply Company, and it was then used for a general mercantile business.

1917 - 1978: The building had been rented as various stores

1978 - 2002: The building had been empty and dilapidated.

January 2002: Rausch and Rausch bought the building.

The building was in very poor condition. Most of the windows were gone and birds lived on the top floor. The roof had leaked and caused several of the floors to rot. The bottom floor was used for storage, and everything was covered in plastic. To join the two building we removed the wall between them. We have also removed most of the third story floors, resulting in the twenty-six foot ceiling of the main studio, and a steel truss system was installed to hold up the roof and walls.

We have recycled as much of the building as possible. We were able to use the sinks and many of the fixtures, as well as all of the floors that had not succumbed to rot. We used the floor joists as both stair treads and table and counter-tops. The bat-and-board ceilings now server as our cabinets, ceilings, and wall coverings. One of the greatest surprises in the building was the freight elevator. The elevator was so old and dirty we did not expect it to work. However, after cleaning it up we discovered that it worked well. The building is teeming with creative energy, and is now the home of GAS Studio.

Tuscumbia is one of the first town to be settled in Alabama, and was also home to the state’s first movie theater and retail space. Tuscumbia’s blue skies and lush foliage are abundant throughout both its urban and rural areas. These things, in addition to the city’s Native American heritage, beautiful southern architecture, and lower cost of living, make Tuscumbia ideal for a design studio.