The artist-tenants at Armature, the group studio in The Old Ironworks Arts District, on SE Scott Street, have until Oct. 31 to vacate the premises.

The lease is up, said Tambi Lane, who has leased all or part of the building for six years. Lane said the property owner is planning to increase the rent by more than double the current rate, an increase she said she and the artists to whom she sublets space cannot afford. Lane declined to specify what she paid in rent and what the increase would be.

“He approached me probably a month ago, and we tried to negotiate,” Lane said, “and he wouldn’t accept anything less.”

The one-story building, about 3,600 square feet, is listed for lease by Compass Commercial Real Estate Services at $1.15 per square foot per month, triple net. Triple net means the tenant pays property taxes, building insurance and building maintenance, in addition to rent and other costs.

An industrial user wouldn’t pay as much as $1.15 triple net, but the light industrial zone, where Armature is located, allows some associated retail use, such as a sales area for a jewelry or furniture maker, said Jay Lyons, a listing broker. Plus, he said, the building, in an arts and light manufacturing complex, has high visibility along Scott Street.

Old Ironworks owner Steve White, who referred to Lane as a friend, said rent for all Old Ironworks tenants is going up, but Armature is the only tenant moving out.

“It has to come close to market rents,” he said Monday, “or, the thing is, you can’t stay in business.”

White said he’s looking for a new tenant similar to those already in the Ironworks, like Cement Elegance, a maker of custom concrete countertops, or Stuart Breidenstein, a maker of jewelry and other creations. The property has been listed about a week, and three prospective tenants have expressed interest, White said.

Lane said she first leased half the building for her photography business. She started Armature about 3½ years ago as a means to keep the space after two other photographers sharing her studio departed.

“I didn’t want to leave; it was my dream studio,” she said Thursday. “I tried to figure out a way to keep it and came up with this.”

Twelve artists sublet space in Armature, Lane said, most on the building’s south side. Lane uses the north half as a photo studio or leases it for special events, like weddings, yoga classes and talks. The building has twice since December been struck by motorists on Scott Street, Lane and White said.

In December, a car crashed into the building, causing $15,000 in damage, White said. Another driver crashed into the north side about two weeks ago, they said. Neither collision resulted in injury, although the second incident occurred at an artist’s space facing the street. The space was unoccupied at the time.

Armature artists said affordable studio space in Bend is hard to find. Shawn Provost, an oil painter, rents a desk for $135 a month, according to Lane, who said a basic 10-foot-square workspace rents for $325 a month.

All the artists there feel pushed out, Provost said. Emily Johnston, a watercolor and acrylic-on-wood painter, said Armature was an ideal space for artists to share. Provost, Johnston and Lane said suitable space is hard to find.

“I’ve looked and I can’t find anything that would be affordable for all of us,” Lane said. “I’ve even looked in Redmond. There are better prices, but it’s a harder commute. Everyone is looking on their own.”

Lane plans a farewell reception at Armature from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 29. The event is free and open to the public, she said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected. In the original version, the last name of Shawn Provost was misspelled, and the monthly rent she pays was incorrect.

The Bulletin regrets the error.