Prevent a defense contractor from opening a factory in artist space
The Issue
In 2003, the City of Boston through its Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), announced the establishment of Midway Studios, a live/work mixed use residential artists' building. The 89 live/work studios, located on floors two through six of Midway Studios, including more than 30 affordable housing studios with rents based on AMI (Average Monthly Income), are not subsidized by the city or by taxpayers, and are designed to accommodate a broad range of working styles. These spaces are currently occupied by some of Boston's most creative, vibrant and eclectic artists, covering virtually all possible media, from sculpture and ceramists to painters, world class musicians, jewelry designers, writers and everything in between. The first floor houses dramatic two story spaces, a lobby gallery and office/retail space for cultural organizations and arts-related businesses, as well as a dedicated 20,000 square foot black-box public theater space.
The theater space was specifically set aside for this use in a letter of agreement between the BRA and the developer. The building is now owned by Midway Studios Associates LLC and the estate of developer/partner Robert Kuehn, an award-winning developer who spent years transforming historic buildings into mixed-income housing. A longtime champion of affordable artist housing and mixed-use developments, Mr. Kuehn died of a heart attack at his Keen Development Corp. offices in Cambridge in June of 2006. He was 63.
The theater he created at Midway Studios is the one and only remaining ground floor civic and public use space for the arts of what used to be tons of space in the Fort Points art district. All the other space has been closed or is scheduled for demolition by the likes of companies like Archon Group, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs, who bought the properties and now wants to turn them into million-dollar condo buildings, after having evicted the artists who lived and worked there for many years.
Midway Studios is a beacon of creativity in the arts district. It is the youngest and largest successful live/work project of its kind in Boston and possibly all of New England, and it houses not just artists, but their families, including several with babies and toddlers. It is located in what used to be a desolate, abandoned industrial area, but is now a residential and arts enclave; a mix of artist coop, residential condos who support our efforts, a restaurant, cafe and art-related retail stores.
The defense contractor, Gentex Corporation, though its recently-purchased subsidiary, Ops-Core, has a history of releasing chemicals and other hazardous materials into the environment through their ground-floor ventilation systems, making many of the artists sick, to the point of requiring hospitalization. The landlord did not tell the artists that they were going to close the theater, something which they are not allowed to do by agreement with the city, until three months after the lease was signed and the construction had begun without the appropriate permits or change use approval. By that time they had already sickened the artists again by painting the floors with oil-based urethane paint.
When the artists sent a polite letter to the defense contractor asking for information about the facility, hours of operation and chemicals they would use, the contractor responded with a tirade of insults. David Rogers, the president of Ops-Core and now an executive employee of Gentex, told the artists...
"The false sense of entitlement of many of our fellow residents astounds me. I have lived in the neighborhood for the past 18 years and am also very familiar with the expectations of some local artists. . .The majority (and some of the most outspoken) "posers" do not create anything whatsoever. They are merely self delluted [sic] bullshi**ers and drama queens who use art as an excuse to justify and rationalize their pathetic existence [sic] while mooching from others to sustain a living. I am happy to meet with any of the people who are spreading runors, false accusations, and lies about Ops-Core and what we intend to do with our space in the building. I challenge them to not be cowards with their backstabbling antics, and instead stand up and confront me to my face."
After more attempts to obtain information, all of which were rebuffed under the excuse of confidentiality, the artists concluded that this person and this facility do not belong in this artist community, which includes many hard working people, including former military, who certainly do not deserve to be insulted like this. We believe that Gentex and Ops-Core have a right to be successful, and we support their work in ensuring that our soldiers have access to high quality protective equipment. We do not, however, believe that this should be accomplished at the expense of our health and our dedicated artist space, when there is much more suitable space readily available in the immediate vicinity.
A "Stop Work" order has been issued by the city's Inspection Services Department. We are petitioning the city to make the stop work order permanent, and force the contractor to move the facility to any of literally millions of square feet of available industrial space in the Fort Point "Innovation District" the city is touting. This hazardous manufacturing facility does not belong in an artist live/work building that families and children call home, and certainly not in a vibrant theater space that is meant to be used for the arts rather than to enrich the pockets of a belligerent defense contractor who has no respect for the arts and the people who create the art.
Media References:
The Phoenix: "The Battle of Midway"
The Phoenix: "In Fort Point, defense contractor forced out of development set aside for artists."
Boston Globe: "Fabricator to leave artist enclave"
Boston Globe: "Midway Studios controversy may be resolved tomorrow."
Radio Boston: "Controversy Brews at Fort Point's MIdway Studios"
"Art of the Deal: Of 'Posers' and 'Drama Queens' at Fort Point"
Boston Globe: "At Fort Point studios, artists feel betrayed." - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
The Phoenix: "Defense Contractor Tells Artists: Our Products Are Art, Too"
The Phenox: "Boston defense contractor to artist neighbors: Come at me, Bro"
Boston Globe: "Fort Point Artists Concerned For Their Health After Equipment Company Moves In"
The Issue
In 2003, the City of Boston through its Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), announced the establishment of Midway Studios, a live/work mixed use residential artists' building. The 89 live/work studios, located on floors two through six of Midway Studios, including more than 30 affordable housing studios with rents based on AMI (Average Monthly Income), are not subsidized by the city or by taxpayers, and are designed to accommodate a broad range of working styles. These spaces are currently occupied by some of Boston's most creative, vibrant and eclectic artists, covering virtually all possible media, from sculpture and ceramists to painters, world class musicians, jewelry designers, writers and everything in between. The first floor houses dramatic two story spaces, a lobby gallery and office/retail space for cultural organizations and arts-related businesses, as well as a dedicated 20,000 square foot black-box public theater space.
The theater space was specifically set aside for this use in a letter of agreement between the BRA and the developer. The building is now owned by Midway Studios Associates LLC and the estate of developer/partner Robert Kuehn, an award-winning developer who spent years transforming historic buildings into mixed-income housing. A longtime champion of affordable artist housing and mixed-use developments, Mr. Kuehn died of a heart attack at his Keen Development Corp. offices in Cambridge in June of 2006. He was 63.
The theater he created at Midway Studios is the one and only remaining ground floor civic and public use space for the arts of what used to be tons of space in the Fort Points art district. All the other space has been closed or is scheduled for demolition by the likes of companies like Archon Group, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs, who bought the properties and now wants to turn them into million-dollar condo buildings, after having evicted the artists who lived and worked there for many years.
Midway Studios is a beacon of creativity in the arts district. It is the youngest and largest successful live/work project of its kind in Boston and possibly all of New England, and it houses not just artists, but their families, including several with babies and toddlers. It is located in what used to be a desolate, abandoned industrial area, but is now a residential and arts enclave; a mix of artist coop, residential condos who support our efforts, a restaurant, cafe and art-related retail stores.
The defense contractor, Gentex Corporation, though its recently-purchased subsidiary, Ops-Core, has a history of releasing chemicals and other hazardous materials into the environment through their ground-floor ventilation systems, making many of the artists sick, to the point of requiring hospitalization. The landlord did not tell the artists that they were going to close the theater, something which they are not allowed to do by agreement with the city, until three months after the lease was signed and the construction had begun without the appropriate permits or change use approval. By that time they had already sickened the artists again by painting the floors with oil-based urethane paint.
When the artists sent a polite letter to the defense contractor asking for information about the facility, hours of operation and chemicals they would use, the contractor responded with a tirade of insults. David Rogers, the president of Ops-Core and now an executive employee of Gentex, told the artists...
"The false sense of entitlement of many of our fellow residents astounds me. I have lived in the neighborhood for the past 18 years and am also very familiar with the expectations of some local artists. . .The majority (and some of the most outspoken) "posers" do not create anything whatsoever. They are merely self delluted [sic] bullshi**ers and drama queens who use art as an excuse to justify and rationalize their pathetic existence [sic] while mooching from others to sustain a living. I am happy to meet with any of the people who are spreading runors, false accusations, and lies about Ops-Core and what we intend to do with our space in the building. I challenge them to not be cowards with their backstabbling antics, and instead stand up and confront me to my face."
After more attempts to obtain information, all of which were rebuffed under the excuse of confidentiality, the artists concluded that this person and this facility do not belong in this artist community, which includes many hard working people, including former military, who certainly do not deserve to be insulted like this. We believe that Gentex and Ops-Core have a right to be successful, and we support their work in ensuring that our soldiers have access to high quality protective equipment. We do not, however, believe that this should be accomplished at the expense of our health and our dedicated artist space, when there is much more suitable space readily available in the immediate vicinity.
A "Stop Work" order has been issued by the city's Inspection Services Department. We are petitioning the city to make the stop work order permanent, and force the contractor to move the facility to any of literally millions of square feet of available industrial space in the Fort Point "Innovation District" the city is touting. This hazardous manufacturing facility does not belong in an artist live/work building that families and children call home, and certainly not in a vibrant theater space that is meant to be used for the arts rather than to enrich the pockets of a belligerent defense contractor who has no respect for the arts and the people who create the art.
Media References:
The Phoenix: "The Battle of Midway"
The Phoenix: "In Fort Point, defense contractor forced out of development set aside for artists."
Boston Globe: "Fabricator to leave artist enclave"
Boston Globe: "Midway Studios controversy may be resolved tomorrow."
Radio Boston: "Controversy Brews at Fort Point's MIdway Studios"
"Art of the Deal: Of 'Posers' and 'Drama Queens' at Fort Point"
Boston Globe: "At Fort Point studios, artists feel betrayed." - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
The Phoenix: "Defense Contractor Tells Artists: Our Products Are Art, Too"
The Phenox: "Boston defense contractor to artist neighbors: Come at me, Bro"
Boston Globe: "Fort Point Artists Concerned For Their Health After Equipment Company Moves In"
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on March 15, 2012