March 31, 2026
CitySpace Project Gathers Momentum, Funding
BUSINESS WEST
By Joseph Bednar March 30, 2026
For Andrew Bagge, the ongoing CitySpace project in Easthampton is a meaningful endeavor in more than one way.
“Two of the greatest assets in Western Mass. are beautiful old buildings and community-minded nonprofits. Pairing the two is really a win-win situation,” said Bagge, senior architect with Kuhn Riddle Architects & Designers in Amherst, which began collaborating on the project in 2016. “Over those 10 years, we’ve been working closely with CitySpace to help them realize their vision for the entire project, including the entry addition and second-floor performance space.”
And recently, the project received a massive boost from the federal government: $3.5 million in congressionally directed spending to support the ongoing restoration of Easthampton’s historic Old Town Hall, a significant boost to the long-term effort to transform the landmark into a fully accessible, multi-level center for arts, culture, and community life.
Specifically, the funding will advance the next phase of work to restore the building’s second floor as a 350-seat performing arts venue.
“The restoration and development of Easthampton’s Old Town Hall serves as a shining example of what is possible when a community has a vision,” said U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, whose office — and that of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — worked with CitySpace and local partners to further advance the project. “CitySpace, local leaders, and the Easthampton community have breathed new life into this historic structure, transforming a stranded municipal asset into an anchor of the local economy and a nexus for community initiatives.”
Easthampton Mayor Salem Derby added that “this $3.5 million federal investment is a powerful vote of confidence in Easthampton’s vision for Old Town Hall and in the extraordinary work of CitySpace to bring that vision to life.”
Two Decades in the Making
For more than a century, Old Town Hall housed municipal offices, and while its second floor served as a public performance and gathering space, it has been unusable for more than two decades.
The nonprofit known as CitySpace began managing the first floor of Old Town Hall as a multi-genre arts and community center in 2006, one that now welcomes more than 15,000 visitors annually. In 2019, the organization secured a 40-year lease from the city of Easthampton to fully manage Old Town Hall and restore the second floor, a project its leaders say has been shaped by regional community input and the needs of the performing arts community.
Since Burns Maxey joined the CitySpace board in 2011 — she became board president in 2015 — she and her all-volunteer team have worked to create a flexible arts and community space in Old Town Hall, which was built in 1869 and housed the town’s municipal offices until 2003. They have helped secure Community Preservation Act funds, multiple foundation grants, and historic tax credits, as well as operating a capital campaign in an effort to raise about $8.5 million for the project.
Phase one of the project involved renovation of the first floor, including the creation of a small, 80-seat rental performance space called the Blue Room. In conjunction with that, Maxey established a program called Pay It Forward to allow low-income artists the resources, space, and support to create or collaborate on a project, or have a residency to complete a project prior to public performance. The first floor also includes a number of art spaces.
Phase two of the project, which has already seen the HVAC system upgraded and modernized, will introduce a new accessible entryway, an elevator serving every floor, and the repair and display of a historic stained-glass window on the building’s street-facing entryway.
Michael Tautznik, the former long-time mayor of Easthampton who now serves as board treasurer for CitySpace, told BusinessWest that “the intention back in 2018 was to try to do this in one shot, but as we saw inflation and as COVID come in, we decided that it just wasn’t feasible. So we’ve broken that project down into three phases.
“We’ve got a great local contractor, Keiter Corporation, that’s doing the work, and we’ve had help from a couple of state grants, the city of Easthampton, and some very generous donors. And we’ve got that project underway; it’ll be finished this summer. And then we’re going to move into the final design and hopefully execution of the final phase, which is to create that venue on the second floor. That’ll be for entertainment, but it will also be a place for public gathering and just a way to celebrate that building’s history.”
The new federal funding will advance that third phase — easily the most expensive part of the project — which centers on the restoration of the second floor, creating a 350-seat performing arts venue in the space that once served as the building’s historic meeting hall, including restoring the ceiling and floors, adding restrooms, installing new electrical and fire safety systems, and investing in state-of-the-art theatrical and lighting equipment.
“The addition is a contemporary steel and glass structure, creating a light and transparent distinction between new and old. The materials, lighting, and finishes complement the existing building and establish an inviting presence on Main Street.”
Tautznik said the project reflects Easthampton’s growing identity as a hub for arts and culture — a priority for many regions, he added, and one he has seen the city embrace through reuse of its copious mill space.
“Easthampton is a community that has become aware of its purpose in the arts. The idea that arts are just for entertainment, I think, is past. We look at the arts as an economic engine. Our mill space is pretty inexpensive, so it attracts tenants that maybe can’t afford to be in downtown Springfield or class A space. So, from the perspective of reutilizing older mill buildings, you become an attraction. And bringing people into the community brings traffic to your downtown, which supports local businesses.”
As for the future performance space upstairs at Old Town Hall, he said it meets a regional need. “It’s a size that isn’t readily available in the region. There are lots of smaller venues, 200 seats and under, and there are some big venues — well, big for this region. But there’s not a lot in the 300- to 500-seat range.
“The idea that arts are just for entertainment, I think, is past. We look at the arts as an economic engine.”
“We think that there’s a real opportunity to try to tap into some of the artists that move through the Northeast,” he added. “It’s also the kind of space that an up-and-coming artist might be able to fill. And that’s important when you have a show, when you’re doing a performance — you want a full house. Bringing a 300-person performance to an 800-seat venue is sometimes disheartening for the artist.”
Realizing the Vision
For Bagge, the project is a chance to positively impact what is arguably the most iconic building in Easthampton.
“The primary goal of the addition is to provide an accessible way for the public to enjoy the entire building, particularly the second floor,” he said, adding that a “nuanced challenge” for Kuhn Riddle was to minimize the project’s impact on the building’s historic form while also showcasing CitySpace as a vibrant hub for the arts — in other words, respecting both old and new.
“The addition is a contemporary steel and glass structure, creating a light and transparent distinction between new and old,” he noted. “The materials, lighting, and finishes complement the existing building and establish an inviting presence on Main Street.”
Another hurdle was achieving all of this within the limited space adjacent to the building, which remains a challenge during construction.
“We’re asking a lot of a small elevator addition, but collaborating with a forward-thinking client has made it all possible. We’re applying the same strategies moving forward with the second floor performance space design, which will be the main event.”
Bagge said Kuhn Riddle has worked on countless adaptive reuse projects to help organizations like CitySpace find their home in an existing building.
“When we lose historic buildings, we collectively lose a piece of our cultural heritage, which plays a vital role in the unique character of the Valley,” he told BusinessWest. “I’m hopeful that our building codes will adapt to recognize the carbon impact of removing and replacing an existing building. The embodied energy in these buildings should be treated as an asset. It has been incredibly gratifying working on the Old Town Hall and collaborating with a client who understands the value in historic buildings.”
As for Tautznik, who has been both working and volunteering in Easthampton for more than 50 years, “I see this personally as an investment in my community, as a way to provide an anchor for that part of downtown,” Tautznik said. “The building is a place I remember as a child. Then when I first served as a selectman, it was in that building. And when I first became mayor, it was in that building.
“The fabric of the community is really what its citizens make it,” he added. “I hope to be a thread in the weaving of that fabric. And I think CitySpace is a big panel in that fabric. And the benefits are going to far outweigh the costs, which are the immediate challenge. It’s going to be exciting.”