Skip to content

CultureHouse East Somerville

Closed

Thank you for a wonderful month!

To reconnect the East Somerville community during the ongoing pandemic, CultureHouse East Somerville transformed a vacant storefront on Broadway into a one-month community-driven pop-up public space. We have been working with East Somerville Main Streets to increase positive feelings about Broadway, attract visitors from across Somerville, highlight and retain the neighborhood’s cultural diversity, and work with existing businesses to create opportunities for new development.

What happened?

From May 3 to June 4, 20 Broadway was transformed into an active public space with various kinds of programming, including performances, local vendors, art workshops, City information sessions, and even a murder mystery! We hosted 22 events with local businesses, artists, creatives, organizations, and the City of Somerville. A total number of 352 visitors stopped by the pop-up, including regulars that would come by to enjoy the coziness of the space and kids to play games. 

Community meeting

We will be hosting a community meeting to share the learnings from the impact report. Keep an eye out on the website and newsletter for date and registration details. 

On Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, we hosted a community meeting at Connexxion from 7 pm–8:30 pm. This meeting was attended by people who live and work in East Somerville. We shared updates about the project and learned more about what the East Somerville community hopes to see at the pop-up. Check out the link below for more information on what was discussed and the amazing ideas from the community.

Where we’re at

The pop-up is now closed, but our work is not done yet! Over the next two months, we will be working to analyze all the data and feedback that we received from visitors and partners about their experiences at the pop-up. The impact report will use these data to inform recommendations and next steps for East Somerville Main Streets and will be available to the public for any future use. 

Advisory group

Over the next few months, we will be working closely with a team of local artists, residents, institutions, and businesses to give us feedback on the project and steer its direction.

Chris Ritter
Somerville Homeless Coalition

Ani Dobbins
Resident

Jordan Harris
Pastor at Connexion

Ana Rivas
Resident

Tim Fontaine
Prospect Hill Academy Charter School

Melina Chavarin
Resident

Luis Morales Jr
Resident, Business owner

Felipe Nonato
Resident, Business owner

Walter Valdivieso
Resident, Business owner

Iaritza Majivar
Local artist/creative

Nicole Eigbrett
Resident

Contact

Want to get involved in the project? Email us at eastsomerville@culturehouse.cc.

Sign up for project updates

Partners

Barr Foundation logoBioMed Realty logoCabot Family Charitable Trust logoCambridge Health Alliance logoEast Somerville Main Streets logoEastern Bank logoMass Cultural Council logoMassDevelopement logo