Facing eviction from 222 Cabot, artists left with few alternatives
Jul. 26—BEVERLY — Sylvia Burger remembers going to the art studios at 222 Cabot St. when she was a little kid and thinking, "Having my own space here would be so cool."
Burger's dream came true in April when she secured a lease for one of the 17 studios in downtown Beverly. Only a few months later, she fears it's all about to come apart.
Burger and the other artists who work at 222 Cabot are in line to be displaced by a plan to turn the building into apartments. A developer, Leggat McCall Properties of Boston, filed plans with the city to convert the two-story building into a five-story one with 113 living units.
The artists say the elimination of the studios, located on the second floor of the Family Dollar building, will be a devastating blow to the city, which they say already lacks studio space. Leggat McCall has promised to include four artist studios in the project. But that still leaves at least 13 artists scrambling to find new space. They say the only other space in Beverly is at Porter Mill Studio on Rantoul Street, where there's a long waitlist.
"It's heartbreaking," said Burger, 24, who grew up in Beverly.
The lack of studio space is not unique to Beverly, according to Julie Barry, senior planner of arts and culture for the city of Salem. Barry said the red-hot real estate market incentivizes developers to turn buildings that may currently house art space into apartments or condominiums that can be rented or sold at much higher rates.
"Everybody is being hit by it, but unfortunately artists and low-income families are the ones being hit first," Barry said. "They're the ones at the lower end of the income brackets."
She added, "It's systemic. I saw it when I was in Cambridge. It's happened in Lynn. It's already happening in Salem. There aren't any larger artist studio spaces left in Salem."
Miranda Aisling, an artist who also has a studio at 222 Cabot, said Beverly had a chance to create more studio space when she submitted a proposal three years ago to develop the Briscoe building into a community arts center with work space for 150 to 200 artists. The city instead accepted a bid to turn the building into affordable housing for seniors, with six live/work apartments for artists. That project has been delayed and is scheduled to start in 2023.
Aisling said the city should create a requirement for developers to include artist space in new developments, similar to the requirement for affordable housing. But she said the city and developers are too focused on profit.
"Art itself isn't profitable, but it's sustainable, and it makes the city a place where you want to live," Aisling said.
Mayor Mike Cahill said he shares the concerns about the lack of studio space. He said he plans to meet with the artists from 222 Cabot, and other artists in the community, to see how the city can help.
"I know that the arts and cultural economy is really important to the community," Cahill said. "It's part of our identity and part of the economic mix in the community. We are investigating how and where we can deliver on helping to insure affordable work spaces for the arts community."
Gabrielle Burgess, who shares a studio with Burger at 222 Cabot, said the lack of space makes it difficult for graduates of Beverly-based Montserrat College of Art who want to stay in the city. She and Burger are both Montserrat graduates.
Burgess, 27, grew up in western Massachusetts, but her grandparents lived in Danvers and she said she always want to go to Montserrat and live and work as an artist in Beverly.
"I finally did it and now I'm going to lose it all," she said.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
