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A group dedicated to saving Boston’s shrinking inventory of affordable arts and culture space helped identify a Dorchester property that will serve as a temporary home for musicians facing displacement from the Sound Museum rehearsals in Brighton.
The Art Stays Here coalition settled on a Morrissey Boulevard property owned by developer Center Court Partners which will become available in March. The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture is partnering with The Record Co. to review applications from displaced Sound Museum clients.
The 37,000-square-foot Dorchester space contains approximately 85 studios, compared with approximately 40,000 square feet and 100 rooms at the Sound Museum, Art Stays Here organizer Ami Bennett said in an email.
In 2021, life science developer IQHQ bought the North Beacon Street property in Brighton that contains the Sound Museum, a longtime music rehearsal space. The developer is seeking approval for a 409,000-square-foot lab project.
The developer recently notified the Sound Museum of a Jan. 31 deadline to vacate the property. In a statement this week, IQHQ Director of Development Kim Thai said the company will allow musicians to continue using the Sound Museum through the end of February.
The former Beasley Media Group radio studio building in Dorchester is owned by developer Center Court Partners.
The Morrissey Boulevard location will be available for up to two years, while IQHQ Inc. builds out a permanent location near the Sound Museum in Brighton. IQHQ acquired the Boston Light & Sound property at 290 North Beacon St. in December for $18 million.
The Art Stays Here coalition previously rallied to fight the potential redevelopment of Dorchester’s Humphreys Street studios. New Atlantic Development, which has a history of working with artists to save loft and studio space, acquired that property Nov. 2, and plans to retain the studios while proposing housing on another section of the site.
The city contributed $1.7 million toward the transaction.
Unlike Somerville’s zoning, the city of Boston does not require arts and creative space in new projects.
But in her 2021 campaign, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called for new requirements to include studios, rehearsal and performance space and live-work artist housing.
