[URBAN NOTE] "The Tranzac dreams up new ways to stay afloat"

[rfmcdonald]

At blogTO, Ryan Ayukawa notes the continuing struggle of the Annex's famed Tranzac Club to remain--or become--financially viable.

Tucked off of Bloor on Brunswick Avenue in the Annex, the Tranzac originated in 1965 as the Australian, New Zealand Anzac Club and is currently one of Toronto's few remaining non-profit member supported art-spaces.

Local music fans know the Tranzac best as a multi-room concert venue, hosting musical performances from indie rock and electro-indie pop to folk to improvisational jazz to classical, as well as a long list of theatrical and cultural events.

Upstairs it houses the Toronto Zine Library, Bob Wiseman's recording studio, and the Girl's Rock Camp office.

The library is run by a collective of volunteers. As a lending library, a nominal membership fee grants borrowing privileges. Otherwise, items are free for reading during staff hours. The Girl's Rock camp supports girls 8-16 years old with music education and performances.

In fall 2010, an emergency fundraising campaign was launched to "save the Tranzac." Hard times had fallen on the venue, with major repairs required (a new roof and floor were required), a decrease in revenue, and rental shortfall having put the club at risk of closing its doors.

Through special concerts, an anonymous donor, increased membership and mortgage re-financing, the club was able to match the required 40K needed to obtain a City of Toronto Culture Build Grant.

With the venue still in operation, the question today is, "what's up with the Tranzac?"

There's both good and bad news for the venue. It still remains in a precarious financial position. Like many old buildings, crumbling infrastructure needs constant maintenance. Funds are always being leveraged to repair things like the aging furnace and bar fridge.