The long-awaited Fitchburg Arts Community, a 68-unit affordable housing campus in Downtown Fitchburg, opened its doors to the public for the first on Thursday.
The ceremony, attended by a hodgepodge of representatives from the state’s federal delegation, local lawmakers, and others involved in supporting the project, marked the completion of the $46-million project which has been in the works for 13 years, according to a press release from Fitchburg-based nonprofit NewVue Communities.
“Today we celebrated the culmination of years of collaboration with the official ribbon cutting for the Fitchburg Arts Community,” said Congresswoman Lori Trahan. “I’m grateful to Marc Dohan, the entire team at NewVue, and the state and local partners whose vision, persistence, and coordination brought this project to life. Thanks to their efforts and over $21 million in federal funding, the Fitchburg Arts Community will not only revitalize the North of Main neighborhood but also stand as a model for how we can confront the housing crisis with community-driven, creative solutions.”
The campus was built using three former municipal buildings: the B.F. Brown School, the City’s High School Annex, and City Stables. NuVue Communities purchased the site in 2018. The community is pet-friendly. It includes galleries and theater space which will be utilized for events.
“This project is an example of visionary leadership. It shows what can happen when federal, state and local governments all work together with the nonprofit community to tackle the housing crisis,” Ed Augustus, secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and former Worcester city manager, said. “These beautiful, historic buildings that had fallen into disuse will now serve as a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of Fitchburg.”
About 70% of the units in the artist-preference campus are affordable housing. The community is across the street from the Fitchburg Art Museum and part of a broader effort to revitalize the former mill town’s Downtown.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
