Democracy Center to Close, Leaving Progressive Cambridge Groups Scrambling

The Foundation for Civic Leadership voted last week to indefinitely close The Democracy Center for renovations, leaving dozens of progressive Cambridge organizations scrambling for a new meeting space.

The Democracy Center has served as a meeting place for nonprofit organizations and activists for over two decades — as well as a party venue for Harvard student organizations. The FCL, which financially supports the center, announced its decision to close the space in a statement to affiliates early last week, citing a need for “necessary renovations.”

Organizations were asked to vacate the building, located at the intersection of Mt. Auburn and DeWolfe Streets, by July 1st.

Sue Heilman, the interim executive director of FCL program Democracy House, cited concerns over the building’s condition in an emailed statement to The Crimson.

“The driving factor behind this decision is the need for substantial repairs and refurbishments to the building,” she wrote. “Conversations about its physical condition have been occurring for a long time, and after being well-used by the community for 22 years, repairs are long overdue.”

Heilman added that the center will reopen once the building is renovated.

“Once the building is ready to reopen, our intention is that it will again be a space open to student groups and community organizations, as it is now,” she wrote.

The center currently serves as a meeting space for the Cambridge Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team. Corinne Espinoza, co-director of HEART, wrote that the center’s closure presents an “impactful change” as the organization struggles to secure a contract with the City of Cambridge.

“After allowing some days to process emotions, we will move into problem solving and brainstorming mode,” they wrote in a statement. “We already have a number of ideas and have made some preliminary inquiries.”

Interim Executive Director of the Better Future Project Alan B. Palm — who has used the space since 2009 — said he was “shocked” when he first heard that the center would close.

“So many organizations rely on this space, not just the resident organizations who are kind of housed here,” Palm said. “It’s a community meeting space and refuge for dozens and dozens of progressive social activist organizations in the Greater Boston area.”

“There are not many other spaces that are like it, especially in Cambridge,” he added.

The FCL will hold two meetings in the coming week to answer Cambridge residents’ questions about the closures, with the first taking place Thursday morning. Several organizations, such as The Showbooking Collective, are encouraging center affiliates to attend in protest of the decision.

“This arbitrary decision puts dozens of emerging organizations and long standing community projects in a horrible position,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post. “Pack the community meetings to show that the community rejects this disrespectful, harmful decision.”

Palm said he isn’t sure where the Better Future Project is going to move after the closure.

“What we’re gonna do before it’s closed is organize and figure out what is in the interests of the organizations who are part of this community.”

—Staff writer Sally E. Edwards can be reached at sally.edwards@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @sallyedwards04 or on Threads @sally_edwards06.

—Staff writer Asher J. Montgomery can be reached at asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com Follow her on X @asherjmont or on Threads @asher_montgomery.