Amarillo College Cuts Ties With Sharpened Iron Studios

One of the crown jewels of Amarillo was having an entire movie studio inside the city. It kind of celebrated Amarillo as a place that could be seen as a creative hub and a viable option for films.

Now, that is all up in the air after a recent development with Sharpened Iron Studios.

Is Sharpened Iron Studios Exiting Amarillo

That is absolutely a possibility with the news about the building they were leasing from Amarillo College. The school has suddenly decided to cut ties with the studio.

The school had a 50-year lease setup with Sharpened Iron Studios for the building at 1314 S. Polk St., but they are now alleging a breach of contract with Sharpened Iron Studios and have made the decision to terminate the lease.

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What Is Amarillo College Claiming

The lease that was signed with the studio called for Sharpened Iron to invest roughly $8 million into the building to improve it. It called for renovating two buildings as well as building a new soundstage.

It was originally signed in 2020, with an amendment being made in 2023. In the lease, the work was to be completed by May 31, 2025, and Amarillo College felt that work hadn't been completed sufficiently by the deadline. They converted the lease to a month-to-month lease, then held a meeting where they voted to essentially evict Sharpened Iron.

How Did Sharpened Iron Studios Respond

Sharpened Iron founder and president Sean Doherty says they were completely blindsided by the vote and learned about it through various media reports. He said some of the complications they ran into were partially Amarillo College's fault.

He went on to explain how they had invested at least $3.5 million already for improvements, and have the soundstage already built and operational. He pointed to things such as asbestos and infrastructure problems that were the responsibility of the school to fix, and those problems delayed things from being done.

What's Next For The Studio

The good news is that Sharpened Iron has stated they have every intention of staying in Amarillo regardless of the issues they're having with Amarillo College.

The studio has retained legal counsel and plans on pursuing any action needed in their dispute with the school.