City invites visionary ideas for transforming vacant spaces in Downtown Boston into a hub of creativity, commerce, and community.

Mayor Michelle Wu, the Downtown Business Alliance (DBA), and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) today unveiled a new effort to bring Boston’s creative enterprises to Downtown Boston. This new effort aims to support the revitalization of the neighborhood by transforming vacant office and retail spaces into affordable, dynamic spaces for artistic production, performance, and community engagement. The Request for Information (RFI) issued today is open to all interested parties, focusing on artists, creative professionals, cultural space operators, property owners, and developers. Proposed uses might include studio space for visual artists, recording studios, performance venues, or art galleries. Mayor Wu and MOAC are investing in these spaces to foster a thriving cultural ecosystem, fuel creative industries, and encourage new business opportunities.

“Boston has long been a city that leads with innovation and creativity,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Home to the country's most creative and entrepreneurial individuals, our City is committed to expanding accessible culture space across Boston. Whether you’re an artist collective, an arts-tech innovator, or a property owner looking to breathe new life into your space, this is an opportunity to collaborate in revitalizing one of Boston’s most dynamic neighborhoods.”

"Downtown Boston is where our city and region come together - to work, dine, shop, take in a show, enjoy an art exhibition, and much more,” said Mike Nichols, President of Downtown Boston Alliance. “Focusing on bringing new creative enterprises Downtown will play a pivotal role in the evolution of the neighborhood and the Downtown Boston Alliance is eager to work alongside the Wu Administration to pair a new generation of artists and creative entrepreneurs with economic and cultural opportunities in the heart of our city."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Downtown Boston has seen an increase in office and retail vacancy rates, leaving many spaces underutilized. This new initiative led by the city aims to support Creative Enterprise Downtown as part of a broader effort to help strengthen and revitalize the neighborhood, including efforts to increase foot traffic and activity downtown. Key components of this strategy include the Office to Residential Conversion Program, which is currently slated to create 760 new apartments, unlocking more than $300 million in private investment, and the SPACE grant program, which provides opportunities for small business owners to open their new or next storefront location in major commercial districts like Downtown. To date, it has directly invested $1.8 million into 15 small and diverse businesses specifically in the Downtown area. This effort also builds upon the Chinatown Cultural Plan, a multi-pronged project to protect cultural activity within the Chinatown community and to create more coordination across Chinatown’s arts and culture stakeholders.

There is a global precedent for leveraging the creative economy and enterprise to revitalize Downtowns, including in London and Austin, Texas. The City is partnering with the DBA to learn from these models and adapt them to Boston’s unique context. Following the close of the RFI, the MOAC Cultural Planning Team intends to invest $200,000 in pilot initiatives that support the growth of the creative economy Downtown.

The Space for Creative Enterprise Downtown RFI has three main objectives:

• Supporting Economic Revitalization: Boost foot traffic in the downtown area, stimulate new business opportunities, and create jobs in the creative industries.
• Creating Community Gathering Spaces: Enhance public spaces and foster community pride through active, accessible cultural programming.
• Nurturing an Innovation Ecosystem: Attract and support talent and investment from the tech and creative sectors, positioning Downtown Boston as a vibrant center for cultural and economic activity.

“Boston is overflowing with creatives of all types who need affordable spaces to do their work,” said Kenny Mascary, Interim Chief of the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. “These cultural spaces provide the infrastructure that artists, creative workers, and cultural organizations need to make Boston their home. I’m excited to harness the incredible energy and imagination of our creative community to offer new solutions and create an equitable and exciting Downtown space that Boston needs and deserves.”

"By transforming vacant space into hubs for artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, we are nurturing a more vibrant and equitable Downtown,” said Segun Idowu, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. “This initiative works in tandem with other initiatives to revitalize the neighborhood. Through these strategies, we’re creating a dynamic Downtown where everyone has a chance to thrive."

"I am excited about this new effort from the City and the Downtown Business Alliance to partner with local business and real estate leaders to bring fresh creative life to the neighborhood. This sort of collaboration bringing fresh ideas can help transform vacant spaces, and bring new vitality to Downtown Boston" said John Rattigan, Partner at DLA Piper and the first chairman of the Downtown Boston Alliance. 

“Boston is my hometown – I’ve been working and creating in this city for over 20 years. As a working artist and entrepreneur, affordable housing and creative space have been among my biggest challenges to navigate,” said Ashton Lites, also known as Stiggity Stackz. “My goal is to continue creating spaces that facilitate community building/bonding, creativity, and innovation. Having affordable space in downtown Boston would allow me to expand my dance and creative entrepreneurship programs, providing a dedicated space for mentorship, collaboration, and growth. It would help me continue to develop the next generation of dancers, artists, and community leaders while contributing to the strength and diversity of Boston's creative scene” 

Interested parties should submit their proposal here by 11:59 a.m. on April 18, 2025. Local, national, and international submissions are welcome. Questions can be directed to arts@boston.gov anytime before the submission deadline. Please use the following subject line: “[Respondent Organization’s Name] - Query Space for Creative Enterprise in Downtown.” 

About the Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture (MOAC)

The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) envisions a vibrant and creative Boston, where everyone can access and participate in the arts. We partner with the local arts ecosystem to support the creative economy, integrate public art into neighborhoods, and increase accessible opportunities for creative expression. We believe everyone is creative. Investing in our creativity will lead to a reimagined, more just Boston. Key areas of work include support to the cultural sector through grants and programs, support of cultural facilities and artist workspace, as well as the commissioning, review, and care of art in public places. For more information, please visit the MOAC website.