Were it not for the splash of orange that adorns the main awning of Central Street Studios, one walking along Somerville’s Central Street might mistake the beige building for a multifamily home. In a way, the four-story studio is a home: for the 29 artists and musicians that lease the space to paint, write and create.
The Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston is seeking to buy the space, which the City of Somerville has expressed interest in supporting. The public–private partnership could set a precedent for local arts preservation.
The Central Street Studios’ tenants’ association and Art Stays Here are hosting a “preservation party” at Somerville’s Warehouse XI on April 21 to help raise the $100,000 still needed for the sale. At the party, attendees can meet the Central Street Studios artists and participate in an auction.
Central Street Studios has operated as an affordable studio space since 1983, when it was purchased by Paul and Karen Morse, Nancy Dutton and David Benson. Paul Morse and Benson are artists and continue to maintain a personal woodworking space on site.
The physical space at Central Street Studios has been a boon to its tenants. Lena Warnke, who with Martha Schnee, Hava Horowitz and Cara Giaimo make up the band Sidebody, said that her band had “no home for our gear or our practice” before moving to Central Street. “Without this space there would be no Sidebody,” Warnke said.
It’s also an intellectual resource. Being around other artists “informs and inspires your own work,” photographer and printmaker Sri Thumati said. “Collaborations become incredibly important and necessary,” animator, performance artist and tattoo artist Janella Mele said.
“Art needs space,” as video and installation artist Jack Gruman put it. Many of the tenants say that Central Street Studios has been indispensable to their success: Sidebody performs at Boston Calling in May, while Gruman will be participating in a virtual studio visit through Arts Emerson in July.
After more than 40 years, the space is transitioning ownership. But it won’t be sold on the private market: Instead, the landlords are working in collaboration with the space’s tenants, the Art Stays Here Coalition – a volunteer collective active in Greater Boston focused on “preventing arts and cultural displacement,” per its website – and the City of Somerville to facilitate a sale to the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston.
“We believe deeply in the value of a thriving creative sector and the importance of investing in the creative workforce that powers it,” AB&C’s website says.
Arts and Business Council
The purchase would build on AB&C’s Creative Campus initiative. The initiative has supported the purchase and redevelopment of two community land trusts. AB&C transformed a former industrial mill into Lowell’s Western Avenue Studios and Lofts in 2022; it hosts 250 studio spaces and 50 studio lofts over a sprawling 238,000 square feet. It’s working on transforming Worcester’s 30,000-square-foot former Boys Club into the Creative Hub Community Arts Center.
AB&C’s prior purchases were supported by government and community partners: the Worcester project, for instance, has been supported by Creative Hub Worcester, MassDevelopment and the Mass Cultural Council and funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund.
The cultural land trust model is similar to the community land trust model that has been used in Somerville for affordable housing. “Instead of trying to maximize profit, a [community land trust] holds the property and keeps it affordable,” says the website for the Somerville Community Land Trust, an affordable housing nonprofit. The City of Somerville’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund has provided funds to the two properties in the SCLT’s portfolio: It approved up to $1.2 million in funding for the acquisition of 7 Summer St. in February 2022 and provided an acquisition loan of $2.5 million for 12 Pleasant St. in July 2023.
Ward 3 city councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, who represents Central Street and sits on the Board of the SCLT, expressed excitement that a similar model could be used to support the purchase of Central Street Studios. “If we are able to pull this off, this is the kind of thing that sets a precedent,” Ewen-Campen said at a meeting of the council Feb. 13.
Support from Somerville
Somerville mayor Katjana Ballantyne has indicated that the city is willing to support the sale. “There is currently a funding gap to make the sale possible, and the city can play a role in closing this gap,” Ballantyne told the council in February. “City staff are working as we determine which tools we can use to support the transition so that we can collectively preserve this building. The Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston is also doing their part to find philanthropic dollars, grants, and other funds.”
The appearance was to give early notice that city funding may be needed to support the project “as part of an ongoing effort around anti-displacement,” Ballantyne said.
The sale has not been discussed at council meetings since. A representative of Ballantyne’s office on Friday was not able to confirm whether the mayor’s office has committed or plans to commit city funds to the project.
Per the AB&C website, the Arts and Business Council has raised $1.7 million since beginning conversations this winter. That leaves them just short of the $1.8 million asked for the space.
Tickets are available for the April 21 “preservation party” at Warehouse XI through Eventbrite at no cost.
Donations are being welcomed via GoFundMe, checks, stocks and bonds, and donor-advised funds. Donation instructions are detailed in the GoFundMe and Eventbrite pages. $2,300 had been raised through GoFundMe as of April 4.
This post was updated April 9, 2025, to clarify that the cultural land trust model being looked at is only similar to a community land trust model that has been used in Somerville for affordable housing.
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