CultureHouse and East Somerville Main Streets has announced he development of CultureHouse East Somerville, a month-long pop-up community public space hosted in a vacant East Somerville storefront. The project, opening in May, is designed to reconnect the community of East Somerville in the wake of the continued impacts of the pandemic by creating an inclusive, shared public space that boosts the commercial vibrancy of the area. Through the community input phase starting today, community members will have the opportunity to join these efforts and help shape the future of their neighborhood.

CultureHouse East Somerville aligns with CultureHouse’s mission to transform unused spaces in neighborhoods downtown into vibrant social infrastructures that highlight and build upon the historic and growing arts and culture footprint of communities across the region. For East Somerville Main Streets, it’s about working with the neighborhood’s small business community to cultivate a diverse and vibrant commercial district. The partnership will transform a vacant storefront on Broadway into a lively and welcoming center for public life using engaging designs and offering creative programming designed by the community.

“East Somerville is a lively neighborhood filled with passionate residents of many backgrounds,” said Aaron Greiner, Executive Director for CultureHouse. “Unfortunately, the pandemic impacted the community hard, leaving fewer spaces to sustain public life. With a 20% commercial vacancy rate, which is among the highest in the region, we saw an opportunity to partner with East Somerville Main Streets to build upon CultureHouse’s previous successes in Peabody and, most recently, in Salem, to create a pop-up that empowers the community to create spaces that welcome, represent, and ultimately, strengthen the diverse community of East Somerville in an equity-focused recovery effort.”

“Through technical assistance and neighborhood placemaking projects, our team has been able to build investment, connection, and pride in our main street,” said Lindsay Allen, Executive Director at East Somerville Main Streets. “And East Somerville is a unique and fantastic cultural hub and home to a community of diverse individuals with many opportunities. We’re eager to partner with CultureHouse and excited to see the impact this newest placemaking project has on the future of East Somerville.”

CultureHouse is working with an advisory group comprised of various stakeholders within the communities – including local residents, business owners, and institutions – providing project feedback and development. CultureHouse is also actively hiring a pop-up manager to run day-to-day activities while the pop-up is open and engage and gather visitor feedback to inform the project’s impact.

Community input will be key in making this project a reality, capturing the essence of the East Somerville neighborhood. Starting today, CultureHouse is gathering community input through a multi-lingual community survey that will inform the design and programming of the pop-up public space. To take the survey in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, learn more about the pop-up manager position, and get project updates please visit www.culturehouse.cc/projects/east-somerville.

About CultureHouse CultureHouse is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving livability in local communities by transforming unused spaces into vibrant social infrastructure. They create lasting change through community engagement, building designs, operating experimental pop-up spaces, and impact reports detailing the project’s next steps. Learn more at www.culturehouse.cc/eastsomerville.