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Adapting Public Buildings for Creative Uses – Cogswell ArtSpace
Jay Paget, Program Director
Since 2006, Mass Cultural Council has been committed to supporting the development of vibrant creative spaces through consultation services and Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) grants. Our state-wide perspective gives us the opportunity to see development trends in geographically distant communities but with similar stories.
We’ve developed a series – Adapting Public Buildings for Creative Uses – which includes interviews, case studies, and webinars with the people who organized, built, and now operate numerous transformed municipal spaces as community art centers. In each case we discuss the step-by-step process of transformation.
Our series began in Harwich with The 204, continued with CitySpace in Easthampton, Mother Brook Arts & Community Center in Dedham, and now brings us to Haverhill, MA.
Cogswell ArtSpace
This is a story of persistence, adaptability, and patience.
In late 2013, Danielle Smida, Chairperson for Creative Haverhill, envisioned turning a schoolhouse that had sat vacant for a decade into a thriving community art center. Drawing on her experience with commercial real estate, Danielle knew that a professional conditions assessment is an essential first step in making a fact-based decision to lease or acquire a building.
In early 2014, Mass Cultural Council began discussing the project’s sequencing. Through a grant from the Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF), a third-party professional assessment was conducted. The results confirmed what the community hoped: the building was a prime candidate for preservation and adaptive reuse.
With the assessment in hand, Danielle was joined by seasoned arts administrator Erin Padilla. Together, they began the complex work of community organizing, responding to RFPs, fundraising, and planning for future programming and design.
Two years after our initial conversations, the City of Haverhill awarded Creative Haverhill a three-year option to purchase the former school. This period was a masterclass in adaptability as Danielle, Erin, and the Haverhill community navigated the challenges of implementing a long-term vision. At the end of that three-year option, the Cogswell ArtSpace was officially purchased from the city.
As of 2026, the first phase of upgrades is complete. The current focus has shifted to critical infrastructure, including ADA compliance, plumbing, bathroom renovations, and a modern sprinkler system.
The Cultural Facilities Fund has supported this journey through multiple grants covering planning, acquisition, and half the cost of a new elevator. Today, the team is actively fundraising to secure the remaining match needed for the elevator installation—a final “missing piece” for full accessibility.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. Even as renovations continue, demand for creative space in Haverhill is rising. Their current 495-square-foot downtown incubator space is consistently over capacity, proving that the need for a fully realized Cogswell ArtSpace remains strong.
The case study and interview (below) with Danielle Smida, Chairperson of Creative Haverhill and Erin Padilla, Director of Creative Haverhill follows the origin story of the project, the community members championing the idea, the multi-faceted planning and fundraising required, and the management/operations model chosen by Cogswell ArtSpace.
Download the Cogswell ArtSpace Case Study
Listen to the Interview
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