For roughly two decades, Easthampton, Massachusetts, has been working to transform its former, historic town hall into a cultural hub. Now, the transformation’s being elevated to a new level.
Donning construction helmets and shovels, residents and local leaders held a special groundbreaking Tuesday, marking new progress toward restoring the Old Town Hall.
Since at least 2006, efforts have been underway to turn the massive structure overlooking Main Street into a bastion for the community – a site for creative expression including, of course, plenty of music.
“Today, we're not just breaking ground, we're breaking through barriers,” said Burns Maxey president of CitySpace, the nonprofit helping lead the effort. “For the first time in 156 years, every floor of Easthampton's Old Town Hall will become physically accessible.”
Stakeholders were celebrating the upcoming start of construction for Phase II of the project.
It’s a $3.9 million leg of the restoration that, once finished, means a new accessible entryway and an elevator for the 156-year-old building, one connecting the former town hall’s basement to a balcony on the second floor, home to a massive auditorium that’s the subject of Phase III.
This, after Phase I, which involved significant HVAC and electrical work.
The new phase is literally building on work that locals, CitySpace and elected officials have achieved so far – turning a space that hosted municipal offices until about the turn of the 21st century into a venue for tenants, artists, jam bands and more.
Already, the first floor features gallery spaces, a framing company and the Blue Room – a 1,600-square-foot hall that hosts up to 150 performances a year, including regular bluegrass meet-ups, Maxey tells WAMC.
“We have a little bit of everything and that's the beauty of it. There's so many different types of community members, people throughout the region, farther afield, that come in through the building, through the front doors and they might be coming for a punk show, they might be coming for theater, they might be coming for a jazz performance” she said. “We present programming that offers artists from Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden County to produce their own works in this space.”
Over the last 20 years, the restoration has dealt with its share of ups and downs. The pandemic and inflation forced what was once chartered to be a straightforward project into multiple phases, all totaling at least $11.5 million – up from what was once a $6.9 million estimate.
But, the project has long had the city’s backing.
CitySpace inked a 44-year lease with Easthampton in 2019. That's on top of plenty of local funding, including Community Preservation Act dollars. The CPA Committee has previously put forth at least $3 million for the overall project - $2.15 million for Phase II, specifically, Maxey says.
Speaking before the groundbreaking, former City Councilor Daniel Rist recounted efforts to support the project.
“Historic preservation is one of the main tenants of the CPA - what better way to preserve our most precious piece of architecture, Old Town Hall, than to make it come alive with music, theater, dance and numerous performances,” he said, standing near the building’s campanile tower and memorial devoted to residents who died during the Civil War.
Other sources include a recent state “Underutilized Property Program” grant of $501,000, $200,000 from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and $150,000 from Easthampton Savings Bank. That, plus just over a million dollars raised by CitySpace.
Maxey tells WAMC recent federal funding clawbacks have not affected the restoration, though as Phase III approaches, she says federal dollars would be a big help during the final stretch.
It’s the phase that, when complete, would reactivate and restore the massive, almost-church-like auditorium on the second floor.
Giving WAMC a tour, Maxey pointed out what’s essentially the water mark of the project thus far. Rehab progress all-but stops on the stairwell leading to the second floor, where the building’s old green tile and burgundy paint remain – hallmarks of the old municipal offices that Maxey says she got used to while once working for the city.
A few steps beyond that is the auditorium, a room that once saw plenty of activity, including the building’s 1869 dedication ceremony.
“The first event that was in this space was an opera singer and they brought in over a thousand people at the ribbon cutting - that would not fly with current building code law,” she said. “We'll be able to have 350 people in this space and we assume that it'll be about double standing. TBD when we get to that point in the restoration…”
For many, Maxey included, seeing performances return to this floor is the dream. Once the elevator and other Phase II improvements are complete, there’s a hope the cause will see more donations as progress manifests.
There’s plenty of progress on the first floor as is, says Zoë Fieldman, CitySpace's Venue and Program Manager, who oversees the Blue Room.
On top of the venue and CitySpace offering affordable spaces for creatives, there’s also the “Pay it Forward” program, providing free performance and rehearsal space for artists in the Pioneer Valley.
Fieldman tells WAMC that with costs kept low and ongoing outreach, the building that attracts 15,000 visitors a year continues to fill something of a venue void in the area while trying to foster local talent.
“… being able to provide affordable space and diverse programming at the same time, I think, allows the space to be the cultural hub that it is currently and as the second floor opens, will even continue to grow more and more and more,” they said
Maxey tells WAMC work on Phase II is likely to finish fall of next year.
Music used in this piece includes selections from CitySpace’s Facebook page, including videos found here and here.
Also used – 2022 performances by Andrew Lamb and Newman Taylor as well as the Boston-based band, Sunset Mission.
