By now you have probably heard the news that we have a new landlord—the City of Somerville. On June 1, 2021, the City of Somerville took the historic Armory building from our former landlord, Highland Armory Realty Trust, by eminent domain. Currently, we have a Use and Occupancy Agreement with the City of Somerville that extends through the end of the year. We have been informed that the City is working on a long-term plan to permanently establish the Armory as a community resource for the arts.
“The City will be launching a public process to get community input on the future arts function of the building. We need to better understand how to maximize the venue for programming that support the arts, Somerville artists, and the public’s desire to engage with the arts,” stated Tom Galligani, City of Somerville Director of Economic Development, in a recent email to Armory tenants. Please stay tuned to learn more about how you can engage with this process.
It is the hope of Arts at the Armory leadership to secure a long-term lease with the City of Somerville, and to continue our mission to provide free and affordably-priced space for arts, cultural and community events, and thereby bring diverse audiences together, enrich and transform lives, and promote the creative economy.