The fledgling Amazing Things arts center, currently headquartered in Saxonville, still plans to move to the Hollis Street firehouse -- good news for downtown, but kind of a bummer for those of us living near the current location.
You can see an artist's rendition of what the renovated firehouse would look like here.
The Saxonville site will still allegedly stay open, although it sounds like most of the performances would be downtown. The center's board of directors is meeting with Framingham officials next week to discuss details of the Amazing bid to lease and renovate the old station.
Sorry for your loss but I'm looking forward to them moving downtown, we need all the help we can get! Maybe between that, the Dennison condos and the Arcade building renovation (if they ever get that started) downtown will start becoming a place to walk around and spend time in. I am sorry they're leaving your area though. First Lincoln Drug leaves and now this?
ReplyDeleteWell, we've got Ace Hardware where Lincoln Drug used to be, which I think is a nicer store (although I do miss being able to run out and pick up some milk or baking goods there). Had the new branch library passed and Amazing Things kept its main site in Saxonville, the neighborhood would have really evolved into a local destination. I do hope the Amazing Things Saxonville site stays open, even as a satellite location for occasional educational or family events.
ReplyDeleteI believe Amazing Things would really help downtown, but somebody has to pay attention to the streetscape. If there's not an appealing walking corridor between the Dennison condos and downtown destinations like Amazing Things, condo residents won't want to walk there ... which means the presence of those residents won't revitalize downtown as much as people think. Once condo-dwellers get in their cars to go someplace instead of walking, it's just as easy to drive to Route 9. An appealing, walkable streetscape is critical -- something that's needed around the T station too.