To expand Laiterie, Strasbourg plans to amputate half of Espace K

The city of Strasbourg has begun renovating the Laiterie, in order to increase the capacity of its large concert hall. The action is scheduled for 2025. The small room, the club, should move to the premises used by Espace K.

The Laiterie’s main hall seats only 870 people, making its economic model complex and weakening its position in competition with other concert halls in order to accommodate the most prominent artists. A less and less viable situation, leading the management of Artefact, the managing association of Laiterie, to ask for more and more insistence on the expansion works.

Victory in 2020, since the Mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian (EE-LV), has approved this request since the beginning of her term. More than 11.3 million euros will be allocated from the city’s investment budget for 2023 (out of a total of 192 million euros) to transform the Great Hall, so that it can accommodate up to 1 163 people, or the total capacity of the building and according to a presentation to this file Friday 5 May by elected officials . The corresponding debate must be voted on during the municipal council meeting on Wednesday, May 10.

According to Patrick Schneider, programmer of Artefact, this increase of 300 seats will hardly allow Laiterie to return to the race for cinemas by joining French establishments that welcome “more than 1,000 people”:

“Many programmers and artists appreciate Laiterie, thanks to our experience. After 5,000 concerts in thirty years, we’re still very well off, but economic imperatives can sometimes prevail.”

Programming “Outside the Walls” in 2025

The business will require the full closure of the Laiterie from fall 2024. A reopening is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. During this time, concerts will be performed outside the walls according to Thierry Danette, but he did not specify where or how often at this point:

“We survived the period of complete closure of Covid, so we must live this phase that coincides with our 30 years. We will take advantage of this very moment to change eras, adapting the building to accommodate current music as well as environmental necessities. »

In continuation of this work, the city plans to redevelop all areas around Laiterie. Rue du Ban-de-la-Roche, the “cooling off” (i.e. limiting) of traffic will be extended to the beginning of the avenue so that the public can reach the Laiterie.

Invasion club in Korean space

rue du Hohwald, the square must be redesigned to be more welcoming, but above all, the club, the little room of the Laiterie, must move to the place of the Salon des curiosities, one of the two rooms of the Espace K, opposite the stage.

An invasion poorly received by staff and volunteers at Espace K according to its director Jean-Luc Falbriard:

“We don’t see how a rock concert hall can coexist with our performances for young audiences, our mediation meetings with the neighborhood, etc. It is used 125 days a year, and also to welcome audiences during performances in our performance hall, 164 days a year… Therefore, we oppose this project, until the city presents us with an alternative, concrete plan. »

On Friday, Anne Meistler, the deputy mayor in charge of culture, assured that “solutions will be found”, without assuaging the concerns of the Espace K team.