Fitchburg State University is pivoting away from efforts to bring a Downtown Fitchburg theater back to life, switching to new plans to build a mixed-use building at the site.FSU is now planning to construct market-rate apartments, along with retail and restaurant spaces, to replace the theater block at 707-717 Main St. The university had purchased the site in 2016 under then-president Richard Lapidus, with the intent of bringing the space as a performance venue.Donna Hodge, the 12th president of Fitchburg State University, is the first woman to helm the institution in its 130-year history. PHOTO COURTESY OF FITCHBURG STATE UNIVERSITY“Between soaring cost estimates, changing theatergoing habits since the pandemic, the evolving needs of the university and competing demands on its resources, the vision from 2016 is simply no longer viable,” FSU President Donna Hodge, who became Fitchburg State’s 12th president in July 2024, said in a Friday press release. “The new plan represents a significant private investment that will inject new vitality into this city. We are honored to be part of moving Fitchburg forward.”The university will be working with Boston-based GFI Partners to complete the project. GFI Partners’ portfolio contains more than 20 million square feet of commercial properties, according to its website, with the firm working to develop a six-story apartment building near Worcester’s Polar Park baseball stadium.The Fitchburg theater project had received public funding, including $2 million from the federal government in 2022. Those funds will be applied to the new project, according to FSU’s press release. The university’s press release included words of support toward the new plan from federal and state officials, including Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-Fitchburg), Gov. Maura Healey, and Edward Augustus, the outgoing Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities."This initiative revitalizing Fitchburg's downtown is going to be a huge win for the local economy and for Fitchburg State University's ability to recruit and retain the best talent,” Gov. Maura Healey said in the press release. “Downtowns are essential for promoting small businesses growth, providing spaces for community to gather, and giving residents a lively and central place to live. We're grateful to Fitchburg State University for using this available space to build more housing, which will help us lower costs for people across the region."FSU relocated its game design studio from the building last fall, and the building’s two other retail tenants, Pauper’s Pantry restaurant and the Gallery Marquee artist exhibition space, have exited the building. Pauper’s Pantry moved to a space at nearby 533 Main St., according to a Feb. 15 Facebook post from the business, while Gallery Marquee has yet to announce its new location. FSU intends to break ground on the development this spring. The project will still require local approvals. Full plans and the amount of apartment units at the site have not yet been made available.Fitchburg has been working to revitalize the Downtown area for decades, with FSU playing a role. First opened in 1929, the theater space at 707-717 Main St. has sat dormant since 1987. Other Central Massachusetts entertainment venues, including the Worcester Memorial Auditorium, the Olympia Theatre in Worcester, and the former Foothills Theatre in Worcester, have been left in a similar situation, facing increasing costs of renovation and shifts in consumer trends as roadblocks to revitalization. Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
