The fire bell has been silent since 1981 at the Engine Company 40 Firehouse in East Boston. But, the sound of laughter and music will soon fill the void, when ZUMIX moves into the redeveloped space at the end of the year.
The nonprofit youth music organization in Maverick Square is on track to relocate from a dilapidated-looking 3,400-usable-square-foot one-level building at 202 Maverick St., to 7,500 square feet of usable space at the converted firehouse this fall. ZUMIX teaches kids from age seven through high school how to play and perform music, produce and record radio shows, and about all aspects of music technology.
It has taken five years for construction of the $4.6 million project (including equipment and furniture costs) to get to where it is today.
“For us it’s been like doing any other project, but for the kids who were nine years old when this started and are now 14, it’s been a lifetime,” said Madeline Steczynski, executive director of ZUMIX.
The city of Boston put the wheels in motion in 2004, when it put out a Request for Proposals for the vacant 1924 firehouse. Simultaneously, Steczynski was actively hunting for a new location for the nonprofit she co-founded in 1991 with musician Bob Grove. Her search was limited almost exclusively to the Maverick Square area because, that is where the program’s roots lie, she said.
“[The current building] has served us well, but without the art and the kids, the building is a mess,” Steczynski said. “It just doesn’t do justice to the magic of what we are trying to do.”
ZUMIX conducted a study to see if it should act on the option to buy the Maverick Street building. After much consideration, the group deemed the purchase not worth it.
“We would’ve had to demo the whole place and basically would just be paying for the land,” Steczynski noted.
Coinciding nicely with Steczynski’s hopes to acquire the two-story brick firehouse was a chance meeting with Al Caldarelli, executive director at the East Boston Community Development Corp., and an offer, Steczynski said, she couldn’t refuse. Caldarelli told Steczynski that the EBCDC had some extra cash lying around from the recent sale of some area condominiums, and expressed interest in going in on the redevelopment project with ZUMIX. EBCDC pledged $600,000 to the then-$1 million project.
ZUMIX worked with the EBCDC to present a very competitive proposal and was awarded the building in May 2005.
“The appeal of ZUMIX for us is the clientele the group serves,” said Sal Colombo, project manager of EBCDC. “They serve our youth, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds. ZUMIX has had such a great impact on the neighborhood. We’re very excited for them to be here and to be affiliated with us.”
EBCDC became the lead developer for the project.
“We are still involved to help monitor construction and to make sure everything gets done right,” Colombo said.
Striking A Chord
Plunking a youth center in the middle of a residential neighborhood would understandably raise eyebrows and concerns in any given community. But, ZUMIX’s presence in Maverick Square is welcomed with open arms, according to Steczynski.
“The neighborhood has just been great,” she said. “They turned out to be as excited for this as we are. They say things to me like, ‘Wow, our new windows look so nice!’ I’m okay with that, it is our building.”
On the first floor of the building at 260 Sumner St., the 14-foot-high ceiling and open floor plan allow for a wide-open performance space with a built-in stage with seating for 98 people. The basement and second level will contain classroom, office, meeting, practice, recording, production and exhibition space.
The large garage doors that once gave fire trucks access to the street, will be replaced with barn doors of the same height. The doors will be functional and will be opened up onto the street a couple times a year for celebrations and concerts, said Steczynski.
The project is aiming for a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. ZUMIX hopes the firehouse will be a green-building demonstration project for other nonprofits and the neighborhood of East Boston. Additions such as a light-reflective roof, bike rack, staff shower and specialized HVAC system will help the project attain the green designation.
“We wanted to be a friendly and green building while maintaining the original beauty of the building,” said Steczynski. “We realized in time with these types of commitments the project was more expensive than previously thought.”
Going Off Key
The team also encountered a handful of unexpected hurdles, according to Steczynski. A high clay content in the soil qualified as contamination and the soil had to be disposed of accordingly. The problem was solved by disposal to a landfill in upstate New York. An old water and sewer pipe was discovered under ground that dated back to the 1920s. ZUMIX had to confirm that the pipe had been sealed to the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, which involved hiring a team with cameras to locate any seal.
The seal was in place, and the project moved on.
ZUMIX has engaged in an ambitious capital campaign to rehabilitate the firehouse. The Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp. provided a $3.5 million New Market Tax Credit investment in early 2008, which closed the financial feasibility gap and enabled the project to move forward. ZUMIX has currently raised $1.9 million of the $4.1 million goal.
The project team also includes: Boston development consultant Affirmative Investments, project architect Utile Inc. of Boston and Woburn-based contractor Landmark Structures Corp.
