The Revitalist

The weekend real estate section in the Globe had a good article on small, ex-urban towns drawing artists to their downtowns. The primary example was Renaissance Lofts in Marlborough, which is in need of downtown reinvestment but seems an unlikely place for an artist colony. And you have to give Deborah Fairbanks credit, the before pictures of the mill with its windows mostly blocked in are pretty grim. It took some vision to see that and think artists. The article also quotes Richard Florida who says, "You'll see more of this in the suburbs. And it's all about the fact that they're proximate to Boston. In Arkansas or the Dakotas, this might not succeed." That's good news for some of the more remote mills, ones that aren't necessarily right next to the commuter rail. Let's hope this project succeeds and sparks ideas for some of the more challenging buildings.