NewVue Communities Celebrates Transformation of Historic Buildings to Artist-Preference Affordable Housing in Fitchburg

Fitchburg, Mass. – NewVue Communities welcomed local, state and federal partners on Thursday, August 28 to celebrate the opening of the Fitchburg Arts Community, a unique artist-preference affordable housing campus in the city’s downtown corridor.

Nearly 13 years in the making, the Fitchburg Arts Community (FAC) is a transformative project that will add 68 units to the city’s housing inventory, help foster the region’s creative economy, revitalize a neighborhood and spur economic growth downtown.

“This celebration represents more than a ribbon cutting for new housing,” said Marc Dohan, Executive Director of NewVue Communities. “The Fitchburg Arts Community is a story about dreaming big to bring back hope and pride into our community. It’s about connecting the past with the future and it’s about harnessing this momentum to make Fitchburg a destination to live, work and create.”

Added Fitchburg Mayor Samantha Squailia, “The Fitchburg Arts Community is a powerful example of how we honor our past while shaping our future. By transforming these long-vacant historic buildings into homes for artists and creators, we’re investing in housing for a vibrant, connected community rooted in creativity. This project helps drive our downtown revitalization and shows what’s possible when partnerships, vision, and persistence come together. It’s a proud moment for Fitchburg.”

Dohan said the ambitious $46 million project was possible thanks to the advocacy and financial support from public and private stakeholders including city, state and federal officials.

“Today we celebrated the culmination of years of collaboration with the official ribbon cutting for the Fitchburg Arts Community,” said Congresswoman Lori Trahan. “I’m grateful to Marc Dohan, the entire team at NewVue, and the state and local partners whose vision, persistence, and coordination brought this project to life. Thanks to their efforts and over $21 million in federal funding, the Fitchburg Arts Community will not only revitalize the North of Main neighborhood but also stand as a model for how we can confront the housing crisis with community-driven, creative solutions.”

The FAC campus features three former municipal buildings, all of which had been closed and boarded up – the BF Brown School, High School Annex and City Stables. BF Brown was built in 1923; the Annex in 1869 and the Stables in 1886. NewVue purchased all three buildings in 2018 and started construction in 2023, saving and incorporating key historical elements. Residents moved in starting in to the units, 70 percent of which are considered affordable, in March 2025.

Bill Tolos taught science for 34 years at BF Brown and is now starting his second career as an artist in the same building, living one floor below his former classroom. Tolos and his wife, Nancy, moved into the FAC in May to be part of a growing artist community next door to the Fitchburg Art Museum (FAM). Always interested in the arts, Tolos thought the FAC would be the perfect place to focus on his painting after retiring from teaching.

“I wanted the opportunity to collaborate with other artists and put on shows,’’ said Tolos, who is also a former student at BF Brown and the Annex building. “We love it here and I’m extremely happy to see the buildings reused.’’

 

The Fitchburg Arts Community, the second project of its kind in the state catering to artists, is located on Academy Street just across the street from the award-winning FAM on Elm Street. The museum, led by Executive Director Nick Capasso, has been a key partner since Dohan first pitched the collaboration.

“Today our dream comes true,” Capasso said. “Instead of three boarded-up, deteriorating, and mothballed buildings, we have quality affordable housing for artists. Instead of razed buildings, and a potential parking lot, we saved three beautiful historical structures and put them on the tax rolls for the very first time.’’

In recognition of its investment and its continued commitment to working with FAC’s artists to support the burgeoning creative economy, NewVue Communities presented the museum with a Community Partnership Award during the ribbon cutting celebration. FAM is committed to offering program planning for the artist tenants and broader artist community in Fitchburg that Capasso said will help position Fitchburg as a regional hub for arts and culture.

 

This transformative project comes at a time when housing shortages have created a crisis throughout the state. According to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, the state needs to increase its year-round housing supply by at least 220,000 units by 2035 to meet demand, including 6,400 in North Central Massachusetts.

“This project is an example of visionary leadership. It shows what can happen when federal, state and local governments all work together with the nonprofit community to tackle the housing crisis,” said Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus. “These beautiful, historic buildings that had fallen into disuse will now serve as a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of Fitchburg.”

Also attending were NewVue staff and board members, state Sen. John Cronin, state Rep. Michael Kushmerek, Navjeet Bal, Chief Executive Officer, MassDevelopment; Mark Teden, Vice President,  Rental Housing and MassHousing; Ethan Handleman, Executive Director, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation; Moddie Turay, Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation; and Mark Lannigan, Regional Director for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.

FAC resident and artist Caitlyn D’Amici designed the artwork of the FAC and Fitchburg depicted on coasters that guests received at the ribbon cutting.

About NewVue Communities: NewVue Communities is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to creating strong and healthy neighborhoods where residents choose to live, work, and invest. NewVue Communities is dedicated to serving the 240,000 residents of North Central Massachusetts, a region of 22 municipalities stretching from Harvard to Athol. We strategically use a five-pronged approach to strengthen communities and fuel economic and social progress through homeownership, small business development, housing development, asset management, and community organizing