News on the (Seaport) Move: See Floor Plans for our New Home 

 

Now that we’re officially through the Schematic Design Phase, GrubStreet's Founder and Executive Director, Eve Bridburg, shares the floor plans and other updates on our move to the Seaport.

Dear fellow grubbies,

My favorite joke lately is a simple one and likely only amusing to me. When people ask me how things are going at Grub, I say, “Busy, actually. Turns out building a center which includes classrooms, a cafe, a bookstore, a podcast studio and a stage is a bit of extra work.”   Mondays have turned into a full day of meetings dedicated solely to this exciting project. Meetings about project management, budget, hiring, design and funding run right through them and give us our marching orders for the week. Though the workload is daunting, our excitement about what we’re building, the promise it holds for the community, and all the new things we’re learning keep us energized.  

Working with our architects has been a highlight for me. Their process reminds me of the writing process. There are first drafts, rounds of revisions based on our feedback and their architectural savvy, moments when constraints lead to creative breakthroughs, and moments when we let go of a favorite idea that doesn’t quite contribute to the whole. We are now officially through what’s called the Schematic Design Phase, which is the phase where you get aligned around goals and necessities. I’m happy to share our floor plans here so you can see where we’ve landed. Just please know, this is where we’ve landed for now. We will likely be making edits right up through construction. I'm also excited to note that we’re defining the hallway on the second floor as a “social spine,” which will include nooks for our coommunity to huddle, lounge areas to write in, and even a few comfy spots for day dreaming.  

For the rest of the month and into August, we’ll be in what’s called the Design Development Phase. Now that the structure is largely in place, we’ll start to add the vivid details that will truly bring it all to life:  paint, flooring, wall graphics, furniture and lighting. Will there be furry carpeting in the teen nook? A neon sign reading “ON AIR” for the Podcast studio? Will the floors be polished concrete or wood? These are the questions before us now. For this next phase, we’ll be leaning heavily on our branding firm, Catapult Thinking. They’ve done some brilliant thinking about how our refreshed branding will extend into the new space. We look forward to partnering with them and with Merge Architects to create a truly welcoming, accessible and grubby arts space. Stay tuned for images of this next phase when they’re ready.  

In the meantime, we have an evolving FAQ and we’re still all ears if you have anything you’d like to share with us. 

Warmest wishes,

Eve

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