Tivoli Oudegracht was a household name in the Netherlands as a music venue for more than 30 years. In 2014 they moved to another building in Utrecht at Vredenburg. The old building is a monument with a long and rich history. It is an amalgamation of several buildings, where the different parts have been used as a convent, orphanage, union house and chapel. The oldest remains date back to the Middle Ages. During five centuries the building has been partly remodeled, (extra) parts have been torn down, build and changed. The result is an interesting building with a complicated character and sometimes confusing layout. It’s intensive usage as a music venue had left it in a condition of deferred maintenance.
The next two years Kyteman (Colin Benders), a musician from Utrecht, resides in the building with his Kytopia. He describes Kytopia as a “musical hatchery” and Tivoli has become a collective building for musical talent but also established names such as Kensington and Kyteman himself. Recording studios, rehearsal rooms and meeting places have been created and a lot of maintenance has been done. Kytopia wants to stay in Tivoli beyond these two years and therefore we are developing plans with them for renovation and reuse of the building.
A courtyard that has been covered during the music venue days will be opened again and give the building penetration of light, air and sight. The problem of the labyrinthic structure and confusing layout that stands in the way of tenant being able to meet up or work together will be largely solved this way. New studio’s will be build in the courtyard with a restrained size. These will have a new facade so old and new are recognizable independently. The windows in the main music hall that had been covered will be opened again. This main music hall will be used for tryouts and jam sessions. A cafe is planned at street level where the artist can meet with the people of Utrecht. Kyteman’s dream is to create a music hun in the center of the Netherlands where musicians from all over the world can come to play, rehearse, jam, talk and sleep.
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