The City of Somerville is teaming up with CultureHouse to create an outdoor community space at the former “Homan’s Lot.”

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne is announcing a partnership with CultureHouse to transform 350 Medford Street in Gilman Square, known colloquially as the “Homans Lot,” into a dynamic outdoor community space called “Gilman Park” from June through September 2024. This initiative will bring a vibrant, inclusive gathering space to life, fostering connections among residents, local organizations, and businesses.

“This summer we are bringing the Homans Lot to life with the energy and creativity of our community,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “We are so excited to partner with CultureHouse to bring vibrant, creative activities to the heart of Gilman Square. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to tap into CultureHouse’s deep knowledge of Somerville’s cultural ecosystem to enhance our public spaces and foster a stronger sense of community. Since City Hall is right next door to this fantastic community space, I’m looking forward to visiting throughout the summer.”

Gilman Park aims to be a central hub for community engagement, providing a hangout spot for residents and a platform for local businesses, artists, and creatives to showcase their talents and offerings. The primary goals of this activation are to reconnect Gilman Square with the rest of Somerville, support the area’s vibrancy, and explore potential future uses for vacant sites throughout the city.

The city and CultureHouse will collaborate closely with residents, local business owners, institutions, artists, and creatives in and around Gilman Square to curate a diverse and engaging lineup of events and activities. This includes partnerships with non-profit organizations and businesses to deliver programming that will captivate and benefit the community.

“Revitalizing and transforming ​underutilized​ spaces into places for gathering that uplift and strengthen communities is at the core of what we do,” said Aaron Greiner, Executive Director at CultureHouse. “And the Gilman Square project is extra special for us as ​​Somerville has been ​CultureHouse’s ​home base since its founding in 2018. We have built long-term relationships with the community and understand firsthand the critical need for this outdoor space. We’re excited for all the unique, fun, and diverse programming our partners will bring to the space and hope to help inform a long-term vision for using the site and other underutilized public spaces in Somerville.”

Gilman Park will be opening on Saturday, June 15, with an opening party that will include a beer garden by Winter Hill Brewing Company, food vendors, a vintage market, and lawn games. A calendar of programming will be updated throughout the summer at culturehouse.cc/projects/gilman-park/.

Funding is available to compensate programming partners who contribute to making Gilman Park a vibrant and engaging space. Interested parties can find more information about programming opportunities and application details at the following link: Programming Information and Application.

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 culturehouse.cc/projects/gilman-park/

City of Somerville’s Gilman Square Plan Implementation

The Gilman Square Station Area Plan, released in 2014, identified the Homans Lot as one of several lots that could be better activated to serve the Gilman Square neighborhood. The city works with the Gilman Square Neighborhood Council on implementation of several aspects of the plan. In 2021, the city also convened the Gilman Square City Redevelopment Parcels Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) to specifically provide insight into the use and development of City-owned parcels, focusing primarily on the Homans lot.