The chairman of the BIM board also being the director of the Concertgebouw, the world-class orchestral hall will be this finely honed fiery big band's new home. The BIM performance space holds about 250 people and it was standing room only every night. As always, the overflow went into the friendly bar, which overlooks Oude Schans canal. But it is centrally located and now when you look through the windows of the BIM you see beamed ceilings and modern art on the walls. Once the bright spot of the neighborhood, the BIM has grown dowdy as well as loud.
Gentrified neighbors complain.
So it appears that pilings will soon be dug for a new subsidized streamlined home of the Improvising Musicians Foundation on reclaimed land behind Central Station. Occupancy is scheduled for 2002. The BIM House will be the first thing pedestrians see as they cross the bridge to the new complex.