EASTHAMPTON — Phase II of the Old Town Hall restoration will be completed following a $501,000 award to CitySpace thanks in part of Gov. Maura Healey’s $161 million boost through funding local economic development.
The state funding will benefit 313 projects in 171 communities. Among these grants, CitySpace has been awarded its portion of funding to complete another phase in the restoration project aimed at making a historic arts and culture venue fully accessible to all members of the community.
“CitySpace’s commitment to the community is evident in their dedication to transforming Old Town Hall into a vibrant center for arts and culture,” said Mayor Nicole LaChapelle. “This revitalization enhances Easthampton’s historic charm and serves as a beacon for creativity and collaboration.”
CitySpace is one of only 37 recipients statewide to receive the highly competitive Underutilized Property Program grant, further underscoring the significance of the project. President of CitySpace Burns Maxey explained the funding will directly support CitySpace’s mission to restore and revitalize Easthampton’s historic Old Town Hall into a 350-seat, fully accessible arts center, preserving a piece of the city’s cultural heritage while creating an inclusive venue for artistic expression.
“We’re just so incredibly grateful for this support from the state of Massachusetts with MassDevelopment specifically. This was a very competitive grant from the state and along the way there have just been countless people working to support our efforts,” Maxey said. “People have worked to come together and be a part of this extraordinary effort to bring this historic, underutilized property back into use for current day and future use for the arts community. It feels like a collective effort that has come full circle.”
The second phase of the restoration project will introduce a new accessible entryway, an elevator serving every floor and the repair and display of a historic stained-glass window on the building’s street-facing entryway. For over a century, Old Town Hall housed municipal offices, and while its second floor served as a public performance and gathering space, it has been unusable since 2003.
In 2006 CitySpace began managing the first floor as a multi-genre arts and community center and now it welcomes over 15,000 visitors annually. The organization fully committed to the restoration of the building in 2019 after securing a 40-year lease from the city of Easthampton to fully manage the Old Town Hall and restore the second floor, a project shaped by regional community input and the needs of the performing arts community.
“This pivotal grant enables us to build on crucial investments from the Easthampton CPA, our community, local businesses and the Massachusetts Cultural Council Cultural Facilities Fund to complete phase II of Old Town Hall’s restoration,” said Maxey. “Together, we’re transforming historic spaces to be more inclusive, accessible, affordable and impactful. We are so thankful for this generous award, and its recognition of the economic development opportunities this project will provide for both Easthampton and the wider region.”
Maxey said the opening of the Blue Room on the first floor of the building has helped pilot the efforts for the second floor. She added the second floor space will be open to artists to rent for their own performances and will host shows from touring performers as well.
“We expect to really help support and facilitate performing artists within the region but also bring in a range of artists within the second floor,” Maxey said.
The renovation of the space will also add to Main Street on Easthampton, an area Maxey called “a happening location in the heart of the region.”
“People gravitate to Easthampton because its easy to get here and we see that people feel really comfortable coming here for performances and it may be a little easier to sell out shows than some other locations,” Maxey said.
Maxey said she expects bids on the Phase II work to be public by January 2025 and work will continue on the next steps for Phase III of work. Overall, she added it was important to reflect on the importance of the project bringing a more accessible venue to all.
“Our long-term vision is providing the space for the region, but also this next step is really about accessibility and accessibility is key to all of the conversations we have about how we facilitate the construction of this building and restore restoration of it,” Maxey said. “It’s a building from 1869 so it’s a historic building and we have to think about how we use it not just for today but for tomorrow. This is a really exciting next step to think about making all floors of the building accessible for the first time in its 150-year history.”
