Real Walls

When I entered the firehouse today, things looked so different. They had begun to install sheet rock and you could no longer see through all the walls. It was a little hard to adjust to at first because all the rooms looked smaller. At the same time it was exciting to see things move towards completion.

Wires Everywhere!

The wiring for our building is very complcated. Various rooms need to be linked together for recording or live broadcast purposes. Through loads of metal conduit our telephone and data systems need to reach every corner of the facility. Our AV consutlant, Andrew Lypps, is a genius and has designed the inner-workings of our building's AV brain. Together with our electrical contractor, John Davies, we are confident that the audio, video, telephone, data, security, lighting and intercom infrastructure will be sound.

Walls of Chewing Gum

Polyurethane Open and Closed Cell Spray Foam Insulation is the Cadillac of isulation products. We had agonized over what type of insulation to use - on the roof, exterior walls and below grade in the basement level. Once they finally began spraying, it was joyful to watch. The contractor would don a white suit from head-to-toe looking like an astronaut, put on a face mask and begin spraying. As the liquid substance hit the walls it inflated like some kind of crazy sci-fi sea monster. When it dried it was delightful to touch, and formed an effective shield from the outdoors. Jane Poncia said it looked like walls of chewing gum - a child's delight.

Our Kresge Challenge

Wow! When we opened the mail today we got some great news! The Kresge Foundation approved our request, but it came with a challenge. If we could raise $438,000, they would give us an additioanl $200,000. Kresge is a very stringent national foundation and it is tough to get their blessing. This would bring credence to our efforts and we hoped it would attract other funders. While some of the Kresge match could come through foundation grants, a good chunk of it needed to come from individual support. This meant we needed to mobilize our foot soldiers (aka our students) to help us raise more money.


We decided to invest our energy in the upcoming Walk for Music. Without thinking too much about it I publically stated our goal - we were going to raise $40,000 through the Walk for Music. This was double what we had raised last year and immediately after annoucing that lofty goal, I started having second thoughts. The recession was front page news, unemployment was up and people were nervous. How could we possibly raise so much money in this climate? But once I had announced the goal there was no turning back. Our Board, staff, youth and parents all chipped in and when WFM was complete we had raised $40,233.

The Doors

As construction progressed, all sorts of on-the-job design decisions needed to be made. Often the deciding factor was cost. Monitoring the budget was an art, with unforeseen problems - such as the removal of contaminated soil - that would increase cost, and unforeseen gains - such as less roof repairs needed than expected. One major decision was about the front fire doors: Should they be operable? Most days we would want the doors to be shut as we would not want the noise from the street to distract our students, but for community events and special occasions it could be a lovely feature. We decided to get pricing for both operable and stationary doors. The difference was $12,000. We did not officially have the funds in our budget, but we decided to approve operable doors and raise the funds to make it possible. Mimi Love, our fabulous architect, began designing them at once.

Some Expensive Air

The most expensive single component of our design was not very sexy. In order to reach our goal of Silver LEED certification, we invested in a highly efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Our Mitsubishi system is a "smart" system, able to heat one room while cooling another, and to recover energy from previously heated "stale" air to reduce the cost of heating "fresh" air. As they installed the impressive ductwork on all floors, our rooms started to look smaller. The system alone cost over $277,000, not including installation (more than the Firehouse cost us to purchase)!

We Have Rooms!

Once they started framing walls you could really imagine the completed project. Rooms became identifiable. You could "walk into" the recording studio or office space. I could barely contain my excitement during this phase. I was completely impressed by our team. They were really making this project come together. It was magical.

A Blessing in Disguise

In order to install the underground plumbing in the basement, we needed to cut through five inches of concrete slab. We were shocked when the first chunk of concrete dropped six inches when cut. Over the years, the underlying dirt had settled leaving a six inch gap of air space below our foundation. This set us back as we were forced to remove the entire basement floor. In many ways this was a blessing as it allowed us to install a waterproof barrier under the new foundation to ensure our classrooms stay dry and also allowed us to level the basement floor. But it put pressure on our time line and also increased our cost.

The Wall

I had gotten rather accustomed to the large gaping hole in the building's exterior wall and actually dreamed of it being enclosed in glass to retain all of that sunlight, but as soon as the masons came in and started erecting the walls of the elevator sharft we started losing that light. The abutting neighbors were amazingly supportive, allowing us to use their back yard as a staging area for this important phase of the construction. They actually kept a watchful eye on the masons, seemingly fascinated with their work.

Onward and Upward

Once we got rid of the dirt, the fun began. A welding team came in and in just a few days they had constructed the framework for our elevator shaft and second stairway. I loved watching these guys in their welding gear, torches blasting, sparks flying, as they raised this magnificent structure from the ground. With the shaft complete it felt like we had finally gotten out of the ground and progress would be more visible.

A Bump in the Road (Literally)

When you dig in the dirt, you never know what you will find. As soon as we started excavation for the elevator shaft, we hit stone - every developer's nightmare. There was no way to know how big the stone was, or how difficult it would be to remove. In our case we were lucky and were able to remove most of the stone without too much difficulty. However, as we made our way to the far end of the pit, we uncovered an old shaft filled with a dark murky liquid. This could have been a nightmare. Had we unearthed a sunken oil pit? We immediately called in experts. After much testing they let us know that it was merely dirty water and we were back on track. The back-hoe worked furiously removing loads and loads of dirt until we had quite an impressive sand castle in our back lot. Disposing of this dirt became quite a feat as it turned out to have a high clay content and needed to be disposed of in a particularly careful way. Removal of this pile of dirt took almost a month and cost us over $14,000!

Our New Elevator

In order to meet code and the ADA standards of accessibility we knew we would have to install an elevator and second stair. Our initial goal was to fit these two items within the envelope of the building. However, after weeks of deliberation we could not find a reasonable way to squeeze these two beasts in without losing vital program space. The only logical solution was to build outwards into the back alley. Our decision to do so posed many challenges. We needed to remove a large section of the exterior wall, push the envelope of our building right up to the neighboring property line, excavate soil in a very narrow alley space using large modern equipment and we needed the support of our wonderful neighbors - who graciously allowed us to erect scaffolding in their back yard.

The Vision

As we move forward, I find it helpful to look at this rendering that my dear friend Dognik Lee painted in early 2007. One of the things that keeps my spirits up during hard times is my strong belief that we can accomplish anything we put our minds to. This painting helped me believe in the possibility of turning blight into beauty. We get a little closer each day.

WINDOWS! WINDOWS! WINDOWS!

Corey loves the camera! Here he is showing off our new aluminum-framed Lewin windows which will replace the old steel-framed ones. Our new windows were designed to retain the original style of the historic firehouse. They have low-E insulated glass, insulated thermal breaks and weather-stripping which will help keep our utility bills down. These widows are gorgeous and will be installed later this week.



Our first-floor windows are one of the most attractive aspects of the firehouse. These nine-foot-tall beauties are fully insulated and sealed in order to keep us comfortable all year long. It's amazing to think how visible our work will be in this new space after years of working in a window-less cave. I think it will bring a huge amount of life to this corner of East Boston which has been in darkness for so many years.

Zumix Goes Green

All along, our goal was to renovate this building with the latest “green” technology.

This way, we would not only save a historic building and improve our neighborhood, but we would contribute to a more healthy environment. The roof would provide us with our first opportunity for green enhancement. I tried to capture this transformation in several photos. First you'll see the removal of the old roofing materials, a mix of tar, rubber, and God knows what else!



Traditional black roofing material soaks up the sun, causing the underlying rooms to heat up. While this is nice in the winter months it is no good in the spring, summer and fall. Here you see the naked wooden roof prior to having six inches of insulation fastened on top. At the far left of the photo you can see a large roll of white membrane. This material, which is thick as elephant skin, earned us our first important LEED points - as it reflects the sun.



Here you see the white roofing material wrapped snugly around every crevice of the
roof. ZUMIX Program Coordinator, Corey DePina checks out the view as he inhales the cool air reflecting off the roof surface. This material will keep the interior of our building cool during warm weather, while the thick insulation beneath will keep us cosy warm during cold New England winters.

The Exterior

The exterior of the building needed lots of attention.  

No repairs had been done since the Firehouse was closed in 1977. Water damage was extensive requiring us to repoint or replace much of the exterior brick. The Firehouse bricks have a unique texture - thin scored vertical lines that you don't see too often. Magically, our mason found a great supply at the back of some old brick lot - the difficult part turned out to be finding the right color for the mortar. I now understand that this is a very delicate process, sort of like mixing paint colors. We made several attempts, but with rainy weather it took us almost two weeks to find the right recipe.

Thanks to Peter, Mario, Mimi and Ben for their patience and perseverance. This building will be beautiful!



I had to get up on the scaffolding to take this photo! It took four strong men to put this one pre-cast concrete lintel into place. I was amazed by the simplicity of the underlying structure that would hold this massive piece of stone. This team was masterful and I loved watching them work. The new pre-cast cement looked absolutely gorgeous!

Didn't there used to be a wall there?

Wow! When I walked into the building there was a huge hole in the wall and sunlight was streaming through. It looked like the building had been hit by a torpedo.

All I could think about was the huge responsibility I had to my community. I had to make sure this project went well. I really hoped the guys from Landmark Structures knew what they are doing! It was all part of the plan. We needed to remove the exterior wall to make room for an elevator and a new second set of stairs in order to bring the building up to code, but the huge gaping hole in the side of the building made me super-nervous. Even with scaffolding to hold everything together, it looked like the building could simply fall apart. Who let me be in charge of such a project?

This is one of my favorite shots! It was taken from the basement, looking up through a hole in the floor where the handicapped entry ramp will eventually go. I love this shot because it captures the gritty industrial nature of the construction site, with all it's hidden potential almost hanging in the air. That's our Business Manager, Nancy Lagro checking out the underground plumbing.

Here come the Crews

Finally, on January 16, 2009,  Landmark Structures started demolition for real. It was
so exciting to see the total destruction of the interior spaces.

It all seemed to happen so quickly. One day there were swollen crumbling plaster
walls, ancient rusty electric boxes and old dirty sinks, the next day there was rubble and the day after that everything was gone, swept clean. Demolition had begun!

Demolition Begins

The first thing we did was to schedule a mini-demolition day with our kids. The opportunity to channel their adolescent energy into a constructively destructive project could not be passed up. In hard hats and with sledge hammers in hand, a group of participants demolished a doorway, an old desk, and a small entry wall. Pictured is Maggie Matta, the youngest of our crew, putting her energy into a sledge-hammer swing. After seeing her enthusiasm, I momentarily thought about dropping all this artsy-fartsy ZUMIX stuff for a more utilitarian focus on construction training.

It's Official!

After three years of planning and fund raising, we passed papers on the firehouse in
December of 2008, purchasing it from the City for $322,000. The rest of our financing was also put into place, including significant New Market Tax dollars through the Mass Housing Investment Corporation and Nuestra. The Barr Foundation, Amelia Peabody Foundation and numerous other funders invested in our work. Here I am at DLA Piper law firm with ZUMIX Board member (and lawyer) Leonard Cole after an epic paper-signing session which took more than four hours straight!

Design in Action

As a youth development organization, we were committed to involving our youth in
the design process. This began with several large-scale charrettes (retreats) where our youth, staff and Board members met with the architect, sharing creative concepts on how the building could be used. Some of my favorite ideas from our youth included a pool on the roof, and "an escalator like the one in the Cambridge Galleria mall, to whisk us all from floor to floor."


With a $6.000 planning grant from CEDAC we hired Mostue & Associates, an architectural firm specializing in process-oriented design. They worked with four of our youth-staff (Glendy Rodriguez, Jennifer Aldana, Pablo Navarette and Renee Marrone) to develop a set of interior design recommendations for the firehouse renovation. It turned out that Sharon MacNulty, the project architect, happened to be a resident of East Boston. She was wonderful! Over an eight week period this team visited numerous youth arts spaces in and around Boston, including Artists for Humanity, Cloud Place, The Revolving Museum and Raw Arts. Their task was to research specific flooring, lighting, signage, storage and furnishing concepts and to weigh their findings against the criteria of durability, acoustics, aesthetics, sustainability and safety. Here are our youth staff in front of Cloud Place in Copley Square.



We are thrilled to be working with an amazing development team that meets every Wednesday morning from 10am-12pm. Our group includes Lead Architect: Mimi Love from Utile, Inc.; General Contractors: Mike Small, Ben Joyce, and Connor McGuire from Landmark Structures; LEED Consultant: Lauren Bauman from New Ecology, Inc.; Project Partners: Sal Colombo and Frank Lento from the East Boston CDC; ZUMIX Business Manager, Nancy Lagro; Volunteer, Jane Poncia - and of course, yours truly. It is incredible to be part of such a fun project and to be working with such a committed and capable group of people.

Funding the Dream

Our acoustic, audio, and design needs along with our commitment to developing a Silver Certified LEED (Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design) building increased our budget from an initial estimate of $1.2 million to almost $4.2 million. Our responsibility to raise money was immense. We hired, and then subsequently fired, two different capital fund raising consultants. While they were both very capable, we did not posses the infrastructure to capitalize on their strengths. We had to meet our goal and our strategy was to mobilize an army of donors and friends to help us. With the solid support of our grant writer, Kenny Weill, we started pumping out capital grants. The Reilly Foundation came on as the first significant supporter of this project - sending us a $100,000 check in the mail. I had never held a check for so much money before, but I knew when I saw it that we would make this happen. In addition to grant writing, we planned several fund raising events. Here is a photo of a bunch of our kids outside of our current home at 202 Maverick Street, getting ready for the annual Walk for Music. Our goal was to raise $10,000, but to our surprise we were able to bring in over $23,000. Go team ZUMIX!



ZUMIX was honored to be one of three organizations chosen by the Lombardo
Corporation to receive support through their annual black-tie fund raising event at Vincent's Nightclub in Randolph. ZUMIX supporters turned out in droves, helping us raise almost $20,000 for the firehouse project. Here I am in my fancy dress pictured with Sal Lombardo (right) and City Councilor Sal LaMattina (left).



The Lombardo's are one of the most prominent East Boston families. Their function hall in Central Square employed hundreds of East Boston residents and served as the primary spot for Italian American families to celebrate weddings, graduations, first communions and other important family occasions. Sadly, this hall no longer exists, but they continue their love and support of East Boston.

In addition to large-scale events like the Hunt Alternative Fund's fabulous Blooming
Arts parties, ZUMIX Board member Julia Wang hosted a roof-top party at her house. It was a lovely summer evening with over 40 people in attendance. ZUMIX participants Jennifer Aldana and Omar Sosa performed a short set, including a wonderful rendition of Hotel California (Jen was nervous about forgetting the lyrics, but Julia brought them up on her Blackberry and saved the day!). An exotic wine somalie and fabulous caterer made this event a real treat. It was also a huge financial success bringing in over $4,000 in new support. Go Julia!

The fun begins!

Once we really got to check the place out, we realized the enormity of the task ahead. While the foundation and structure were sound, the interior was a total mess. We kept hoping we would be able to reuse elements from the old building, especially the fire poles - to maintain its history - but there was very little remaining from the original firehouse. The fire poles were long gone, probably sold for scrap metal and the rest of the building was in shambles.



ZUMIX Technical Director, Daniel Fox, surveyed the building to begin programmatic mapping and basic layout of our new space. In this photo I think he looks a little like a homeless man hiding out in an abandoned building, but his nice puffy jacket gives him away. Technically this project promised to be quite challenging, so I was relieved to have Dan involved from day one.



The firemen's locker room was the only room that maintained any of the original look and feel of the old firehouse. Unfortunately, the lockers were in such bad shape that we couldn't salvage them. We did keep a couple of locker doors and will try to incorporate them into the final design somehow.

Victory!

In 2005, Mayor Menino came out to the firehouse to make the formal announcement - ZUMIX and the EBCDC had been awarded the building!

In typical ZUMIX style, we invited our students, parents, neighbors and friends to join us in celebration. Our party was scheduled as part of East Boston Open Studios, with live performances by our youth, delicious refreshments provided by the 303 Cafe, and distinguished speakers including City Councilor Sal Lammattina and newly elected State Representative Carlo Basile. Guests were invited to tour this amazing space that had been vacant for almost 30 years!

Signs of Life

In 2004, suddenly there were signs of life.

A For Sale sign appeared on the firehouse door. The Department of Neighborhood Development had put the Engine 40 Firehouse building on the market.

I eagerly attended the City's information session at the Harborside Community Center. That night I had the pleasure of meeting Al Caldarelli from the East Boston Community Development Corporation. I had heard about Al for years, but had never met him.

When I introduced myself, he asked me why I was there. I told him about my dreams of converting the firehosue into a vibrant youth center. He handed me his card and said "let's talk about this." The next day we had an agreement. ZUMIX and the East Boston CDC were going to work together on this project.

Over the next month we developed a creative proposal. There were many applicants and this was a very competitive process. After submitting our plan we were invited to present it to the community. Our concept was well received - and we waited to hear the news.

Growing pains

By 1996 ZUMIX was bursting at the seams.

We needed more space, but the City was not ready to work with us. Luckily we found a vacant space at 202 Maverick Street owned by an East Boston native Patty Cohen (Cardinelli).

When we moved in, we learned that the building had a notorious history. It had been known as the Cardinal's Nest - a bar with a seedy reputation. There were stories of underground tunnels where bootlegging flourished during prohibition, rowdy crowds, late night fights, blood-shead and even an occational dead body helped create a mythic reputation - if only the walls could talk!

We operated out of this building for years, expanding our programs with the changing needs of our neighborhood. By 1999 we were working at capacity, and by 2003 we were desperately short of space.

Zumix is born

1990 was the worst year of violence in Boston's history.

I founded ZUMIX with a friend in 1991. The idea was simple, to get kids off the streets and engaged in music. That first summer we worked with a group of 24 youth out of our apartment at 63A Maverick Square. This was an amazing group!

They spent the summer writing original songs that addressed the issue of youth violence in Boston. Their songs were great and their messages were powerful. They were creative and earnest, and I fell in love with the work.

In the next couple of years, the program grew and space became an issue. In 1994 I wrote my first letter to the City asking them to give me the abandoned Engine 40 Firehouse so I could create a state of the art youth center. They wrote back, thanking me for my interest and said they would "keep my letter on file."

In the beginning...

There is a tremendous amount of history behind the building we are filling with new life. Here is a bit of the back ground information on the architecture, use and evolution of our firehouse.

The Engine Company 40 Firehouse was built between 1923 and 1924. It was constructed of brick and stone in a style architects call Tudor Revival - famous for its graceful arches and detailed brickwork. Originally housing horse-drawn fire rigs, the station fuctioned as a firehouse as well as a barn. This photo captures the original beauty of the building including the detail of it's lovely third floor.




An early photo captures the spirit of East Boston. The Sumner Street firehouse was a huge source of pride in the neighborhood and its firemen became local heroes. Notice the original fire doors, cobblestone streets, and impeccable uniforms - I especially love the gleeming lapel pin on the Captain's chest (far left). When the fire alarm would sound, local children would gather around to watch the handsome fire engines charge to the rescue of threatened families. The feeling of excitement and sympathy was intense.




The original doors, although beautiful, provided little security. Numerous residents, now in their 70's, recall sneaking into the building to slide down the poles when firemen were off fighting fires. A retired Engine 40 worker said it was crazier than that. "Kids would steal our television, or even our fans. Anything that wasn't tied down was fair game. This photo was likely taken in the 1950's. The original barn-style fire-doors had been replaced with roll-up doors and the cobblestone streets had been paved.



In the 1950's, in an effort to conserve heat, the City of Boston modernized three city-owned firehouses by removing the top floors. When I first saw a photo of this building complete with it's glorious third floor, I couldn't help but think that bad City planning had decapitated this beautiful gem. As time passed, fire engines got bigger and the equipment they carried grew bulkier, requiring higher and wider doors. By the 1970's Engine 40 was in disrepair and considered too small to be of good service. A modern, spacious firehouse was constructed a few meters away on Sumner Street, and on May 13, 1977 the old firehouse was shuttered, where it sat unused for thirty years.