IKEA’s Coventry branch that was closed in March 2020, could become home to national and local artworks and collections. Coventry City Council will vote on proposals to buy the landmark store in the city centre. Following the closure of the building by Swedish furniture maker in March last year, local politicians in Coventry, central England, are now considering purchasing the seven story building with the hope of converting the structure into a new cultural facility.
The seven-floor store would enable some of the city’s collections not currently on display at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, and the Coventry Transport Museum, to be relocated, which the council said would “improve public access”.
Coventry is the UK City of Culture 2021, a designation given to a city for a period of one year to celebrate local culture through events, music, dance, theater and performances. The new space will accommodate a variety of collection. The project would make for a lasting physical, economic and cultural legacy.
The intention for acquiring it is to attract some of the country’s greatest works of art and provide greater public access to Coventry’s own cultural and heritage collections. The council is partnering with Arts Council England, which owns around 8,000 artworks by modern and contemporary British artists.
The IKEA store was built in 2007. Built over seven floors due to a lack of space, the unusual design pushed up operating costs and compromised the shopping experience, IKEA said in a statement in last year
Jim O’Boyle, a councilor for the local authority, said many people were disappointed when the IKEA store closed, adding that the council was aiming to bring the “landmark building back into use as something special.”
“This exciting and amazing proposal really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something Coventry people can be rightly proud of as well as a national and international centre of excellence that will be a lasting legacy from our year as UK City of Culture,” said councilor David Welsh, the council’s cabinet member for housing and communities, in a statement.