A finalized plan for the Somerville-owned Armory arts building was released this month, providing a roadmap for its management as a public center. Which tenants will stay or go, and which may move in, may not be known until the winter, a city official said.
The city acquired the building at 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, through a $5 million eminent domain land seizure in May 2021 from the Saters, the family that owns The Middle East nightclub complex in Cambridge.
Since the acquisition, the city has been in sometime contentious conversation with the community and current Armory tenants to create the plan, now revised from a draft released in November.
“We went through basically a two-year process … the master plan was based out of a lot of those meetings,” said Greg Jenkins, executive director of the Somerville Arts Council.
The collaboration between the city’s Economic Deployment Division and the arts council established guiding principles to maximize the use of the building as a community arts center, focusing on artists, community and culture, and ensure it as a financially independent center, according to the plan.
“The arts is one of our key economic industries here in Somerville,” said Rachel McKearney, the city’s director of economic development. “The Armory has been one of the important venues and spaces for arts, production and arts exhibition.”
Tenants would be required to submit requests for proposals to be considered for residency. These RFPs will be considered by a new Armory Advisory Board.
Current tenants are included in the requirement to submit RFPs if they are interested in continuing their residency.
When submissions open, “this process will probably take us through the summer and fall, so I can’t imagine people moving in until maybe the new year,” Jenkins said.
New board will review
The Armory is home to five tenants, using around 15,000 square feet in a 21,500-square-foot building. These include Arts at the Armory, a nonprofit overseeing booking of the main hall, cafe and Unit B5 – a rentable space known as the Lavender Room – and considered an anchor for the building; the Out of the Blue Art Gallery, displaying the work of more than 30 artists across the third floor and throughout the building, owned and operated by Parama Chattopadhyay, also known as Parma Chai; and Acoustic Strings of New England, a seller of musical instruments; Dead Moon Audio, a recording studio; and Audiotech services, an audio repair shop.
Stephanie Scherpf, co-director and chief executive of Arts at the Armory, said in a written statement that the nonprofit is “looking forward to the RFP process.” The organization is looking to secure a long-term lease on its current space and potentially lease more.
Submissions will be reviewed by the advisory board, which is expected to work with the mayor of Somerville and City Council to select tenants and guide investments in the building.
“The advisory board is representative of the community, both the arts community here in Somerville and the resident community,” Jenkins said. The five advisers are to include three members from the arts community and two residents. Applications for the board are open. Current or prospective tenants at the Armory are unable to apply.
“I’m hoping that this board ensures that the process for selecting tenants is fair and transparent,” city councilor Naima Sait said.
Current tenants must apply
For current tenants who do not wish to reapply for residency, or who submit RFPs but are not selected by the advisory board, the city promises displacement help and payment to support the businesses as they move. Jenkins describes the support as “very generous.”
Chattopadhyay, a live-work resident in the Armory since 2020 when the Saters owned the building, has had a tumultuous relationship with the city throughout transition to public ownership.
“I am at my wit’s end,” she said. She has been fighting for the rights of the tenants in the Armory building since the start of discussions of Somerville’s ownership, she said.
While Out of the Blue will submit an RFP for continued residency, “I know it’s going to be rejected, which is the absurdity of this process,” Chattopadhyay said, citing her conflicted relationship with the city and the Arts Council. She said she has begun to look at other communities as potential homes, “but I am not going to go without a fight.”
“There’s no reason to get rid of all the artists that are here,” Chattopadhyay said.
Rent that pays the bills
The plan says the city expects to work with tenants to determine fair rents. “Part of the challenge that we have going back and forth is figuring out a way that we can rent it at a rate that is low enough that it gives the working artist the stability that they need and also that the building can still keep the lights on,” McKearney said.
After rent is set, the advisory board will guide investments into the building for maintenance and upgrade.
“The Armory will be in a state of transition for a little bit. It’s going to take a little bit for rent revenues to really translate into the investments that we know the building needs. And so that state of transition will continue, we think every step of the way is going to be an improvement,” McKearney said. “It will continue to strengthen with time.”
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