And Update On the Allston Sound Museum Situation
Local musicians who practice and create at the Allston Sound Museum are scrambling to relocate in advance of pending development.
If you’re not familiar with the story, I’ll give you the brief background. The Sound Museum in Allston has provided practice space for local musicians and artists for over 40 years. The building, located at 155 North Beacon Street, was recently purchased by developers. And while the bands who called the space home have advocated for an exit plan, none has been put in place.
Last month, I had this story, sourced from Allston Pudding, about how thousands of those musicians will be losing their practice spaces this month. Since then, there’s been a flurry of news. We’ll start with this piece from WBUR. Reporter Amelia Mason does a thorough job of summarizing the Sound Museum saga to this point–most importantly, focusing on the lack a concrete plan for both temporary and permanent space–and adds this recent development:
…yet another entity had stepped into the fray: the Art Stays Here Coalition, a volunteer advocacy organization…interested in helping form a Sound Museum tenants association. But unity among the tenants proved elusive. Some wanted to support Desmond in his search for a location in other parts of the city, and others advocated to stay in Allston-Brighton.
Then, days later, came this story from Boston Business Journal. IQHQ, the California-based firm developing 155 North Beacon St., acquired 290 North Beacon St. from the owners of the audio-visual business Boston Light and Sound for $18 million in the final days of 2022. Their plan is to give the property to the city as a replacement for the Sound Museum.
So it looks like there is indeed a path forward for Sound Museum musicians who want to stay put in Allston. The problem now: where will they go in the interim of 155 North Beacon St. closing and the 290 North Beacon St. renovations? We’ll continue to follow the story as it develops. In the meantime, take in a local show and show some support to these local artists when they need it most.
