Photo courtesy of Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg State University officials are reversing course on long-mooted plans to revitalize a decaying former theater in downtown Fitchburg.
Instead, the school said Friday it plans to demolish the vacant building and replace it with a market-rate, mixed-use development in partnership with Boston developer GFI Partners.
No plans appear to have been filed with city officials so far, and Fitchburg State’s announcement included scant details on the planned building program beyond promising “[n]ew construction of multi-family, market-rate housing, along with retail and restaurant space, will be built where a long-vacant and deteriorating theater block now stands.”
Fitchburg State did not respond to an emailed inquiry regarding the project before publication. The school’s announcement projected a “spring” groundbreaking.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, school officials had detailed a proposal to revitalize the 125-year-old theater building at 707-717 Main St. as an “ideas center” to incubate entrepreneurs and small businesses, the centerpiece of which was set to be thorough renovations to the building’s 1,200-seat theater into a performing arts venue. The intent was to “be a catalyst” for a revival of downtown Fitchburg, former Fitchburg State Vice President of Finance and Administration Jay Bry told Banker & Tradesman in 2019.
The school bought the 0.68-acre site and 45,260-square-foot building for $355,000 in 2016 and renovated street-facing parts of the building into student studio space, a restaurant and an art gallery.
That ambition appears to remain, but soaring construction costs appear to have helped kill the original vision, and make any renovation appear non-viable.
“Downtown Fitchburg is not separate from Fitchburg State University. Our students walk these streets. Our employees live here. Our graduates build their lives here,” Fitchburg State President Donna Hodge said in a statement.
“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,” she added.
Even though public details on the project are scarce, Fitchburg State appears to have lined up a substantial list of supporters. The school’s announcement included statements of support from Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, outgoing state Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, state Sen. John Cronin, state Rep. Michael Kushmerek and Mayor Samantha Squailia.
“Fitchburg’s needs today are clear: we need more downtown housing development, more commercial storefront opportunity, and increased investment that supports our thriving city center,” Squailia said in a statement provided by Fitchburg State. “This redevelopment will bring new life to a prominent and long underutilized site, creating new homes, new commercial space, and expanded parking spaces, contributing to our growing momentum that puts more heads in beds and more feet on our Main street.”
“More downtown apartments will also support the commercial investments already taking root on Main Street and throughout the district, helping those businesses succeed year round as our downtown continues to grow,” she added.
