Artists in search of affordable spaces to live and work could soon find just what they’re looking for in Westbrook.

Westbrook Housing is in the process of purchasing a dilapidated building at 917 Main St., in order to build affordable condominiums and gallery space for artists in its place.

John Gallagher, executive director of Westbrook Housing, said the housing authority is still negotiating a price with Samuel Novick, who owns both that building, which was built in 1840 as a Universalist church, and Hub Furniture across the street.

According to Darrell Bulmer, spokesman for the Maine Arts Commission, artists moving back into the state recently have told him they are looking to move into spaces where they can live and work, both for the cost benefit and the convenience.

He said it’s hard for artists to find spaces with adequate entryways to get their materials, like large canvasses, through the door. Though old mill buildings have worked well as studios, many artists would like to be able to have theirs studios in the same place as their homes.

“I hear a lot of people looking for affordable live-work spaces,” he said.

Gallagher said he hopes to raze the building. In its place would be a new building with five gallery spaces on the first floor and five condominiums on the second floor. That configuration isn’t only good news for artists, but for also downtown development in Westbrook, as well.

“The vision is to bring back additional retail space and additional housing back into downtown,” said Gallagher, who believes a good mix of the two is what keeps downtowns vital.

The specific location of the building on the western side of Main Street is also ideal, according to Economic and Community Development Director Keith Luke.

“It’s a redevelopment priority for the city,” said Luke.

According to Westbrook historian Mike Sanphy, the building, now condemned, later housed various businesses. It was most recently a consignment shop, and has been vacant for about two years.

With a cell phone store recently moving into a vacant space on Main Street and the former Freaky Bean Coffee Shop reopening as Riverwalk Coffee this week, Luke said empty buildings on Main Street are growing fewer. Now, with projects like the one Westbrook Housing is proposing, he hopes that activity will stretch farther down the road.

Luke said one of the first steps in redeveloping the western side of Main Street is getting rid of blighted structures, like the one the housing authority wants to demolish.

The land and building is assessed at $153,400. Luke said the purchase of the property and demolition of the building will be paid for with stimulus money, specifically coming from a neighborhood stabilization grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Luke said as soon as Westbrook Housing and Novick negotiate a price, the project would begin. He said he expects the building to be habitable within a year.

According to Bulmer, there are some spaces where artists can live and work in Portland, but not many other places in the state.

“I think this is going to put us on the map,” Luke said.

Low-cost housing, studios planned