East Cambridge Building Considered for City Education Center

UPDATED: January 29, 2013, at 3:21 a.m.

The Cambridge City Council hopes to create a space dedicated to the mentorship, apprenticeship, and scholarship of individuals in the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics—or STEAM—disciplines.

The initiative, proposed Monday evening at a City Council meeting, would convert the Foundry Building, located in East Cambridge, into a STEAM facility, pending further approval and investigation.

Cambridge residents ranging from dancers to artists to professors backed the resolution that would make the site a community center for education and the meeting place for several local non-profit groups. The cost of the upgrade is approximately $11 million.

Many residents felt strongly that the education and training in technology and engineering would help younger generations of Cambridge residents be more competitive in the job market.

“The better we are at engineering, the better we will be at innovating,” said Cambridge resident Sue Butler, who supports the initiative.

For others, the new STEAM facility could provide opportunities for youth who have fewer educational resources.

“Our resources can help level the playing field,” said Joseph Elder, a lifelong Cambridge resident and father of three, who believes the facility could provide extracurricular opportunities.

Other residents were pleased with the proposal’s focus on the “arts” element of STEAM.

Junot Díaz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a creative writing professor at MIT, spoke in support of the proposed facility, noting that the city’s STEAM community is widely dispersed.

“We’ve long needed this institution,” Díaz said. “Having a place that focalizes, but also creates an important structure…would be important for the future of Cambridge.”

The proposed center would not only be intended for children. Many hoped that the facility would be available to individuals of any age and would serve as a meeting place for those interested in learning and teaching.

One resident did offer arguments against the renovation of the space, questioning whether the city should take on the entire financial burden of the project.

“This building is really not for me. It is impossible for me to reach [it] through public transport,” said James Williamson, who also pointed out that the location of the building might be inconvenient for other residents.

However, the overwhelming public support for the proposal was tempered by the practical and logistical concerns brought up by the city staff and Council members.

In particular, City Manager Richard C. Rossi noted that the financing estimate of $11 million only includes costs related to bring the building up to code like handicap access, roofing, and plumbing. If the building is to be equipped for use as a STEAM facility, the costs would be much higher.

"If the city is going to pay for it all...then that's a 25-or-more-million-dollar expenditure that shows nowhere in our capital plan," Rossi said.

Finding a way to finance the upgrade poses another challenge, especially since there are several pending projects that have been promised funding. Councillor E. Denise Simmons reminded the assembly that the City Council has already committed to renovating three local schools, but has not been able to fulfill that obligation.

The Foundry building was built in 1895 as part of the George F. Blake Manufacturing Company. Since then, the building has been renovated several times and most recently served as home to numerous Kendall Square startups.

The Foundry was purchased by the city, with the stipulation that at least a portion of the building be designated for community use.

—Staff writer Arjun S. Byju can be reached at arjunbyju@college.harvard.edu.