Tate are embarking on a £3m refurbishment of grade 2 listed building known as the Palais de Danse (or Palais) in St Ives Cornwall. The building has had a rich history and been an important venue in the town stretching back to the 1800s having been a naval college, a cinema, a dancehall and latterly the second studio of the artist Barbara Hepworth. The building has lain empty since the artists death in the 1970s and a full refurbishment is needed to bring the building back into useful life. The Tate run the adjacent Barbara Hepworth Museum and Garden and the Palais will extend visitors understanding of Hepworth’s work by allowing access into the spaces where she created some of her most iconic larger scaled work.
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Tate are embarking on a £3m refurbishment of grade 2 listed building known as the Palais de Danse (or Palais) in St Ives Cornwall. The building has had a rich history and been an important venue in the town stretching back to the 1800s having been a naval college, a cinema, a dancehall and latterly the second studio of the artist Barbara Hepworth. The building has lain empty since the artists death in the 1970s and a full refurbishment is needed to bring the building back into useful life. The Tate run the adjacent Barbara Hepworth Museum and Garden and the Palais will extend visitors understanding of Hepworth’s work by allowing access into the spaces where she created some of her most iconic larger scaled work.
Alongside displays of materials and artefacts from the period, digital imagery and interactive displays will explain her process and approach. The project will also bring the beautiful dancehall space back into being, extending Tate’s community reach and providing a backdrop for performances, talks, displays, events, learning and wider programmes. Building on the legacy of making in the Palais, the scheme also includes a studio space for an artist in residence or classes and demonstrations.
The scheme will see a new vertical circulation core sensitively introduced into the listed fabric, ensuring all visitors can access every level of the building along with a careful upgrade to the fabric to ensure the building meetings contemporary standards.
A design team has been appointed and we have an indicative design which responds to Tate’s brief. We are seeking an appropriately experienced principal designer to work with our design team to ensure the project is successfully delivered. This individual or company should be familiar with all aspects of built environment delivery, including recent changes under the Building Safety Act.
We anticipate opening the Palais to the public in Q3 2026 with construction completed in Q1 of the same year.£1