1. Midway Studios
Fort Point Development Collaborative (FPDC) is a joint
venture of the Fort Point Cultural Coalition, Inc. and
Keen Development Corporation.
3. Project Overview
3
Midway Studios is a mixed-use rental community comprised of approximately
193,000 square feet in three contiguous warehouse buildings. It is located at 15
Channel Center Street (formerly 24-38 Midway Street), just behind 211-215 A Street,
in the Fort Point Neighborhood of South Boston.
The 89 live/work studios,
located on floors two through six
of Midway Studios, are designed
to accommodate a broad range
of working styles. The first floor
houses a dramatic two story
space and office/retail space for
cultural organizations and arts-
related businesses.
Completed in spring 2005,
Midway Studios is a project of
the Fort Point Development
Collaborative (FPDC).
4. 4
Floor Plan, level 1.
(Left) Typical floor plan of Midway Studio residential units.
(Above/top) Standard kitchen in residential units.
(Above) View of typical studio after renovation.
5. Project Ownership
5
Midway Studios LLC is the owner of Midway Studios. The members of the LLC are
Fort Point Development Collaborative and Historic Communities LLC (Fannie Mae).
The Fort Point Development Collaborative (FPDC) is a joint venture
of the Fort Point Cultural Coalition, Inc. and Keen Development
Corporation. FPDC was established in April 2003 to foster the creation
of the arts by developing permanent, affordable artist live/work space
and cultural facilities in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood.
Fort Point Cultural Coalition,
Inc. (FPCC), a community cultural
development corporation, was
created to preserve, promote and
expand the cultural community
of Fort Point, by securing perma-
nent, affordable space for neigh-
borhood artists and arts organiza-
tions. The organization is headed
by a volunteer board of real estate
professionals, arts advocates and
neighborhood artists.
Midway Studios, FPCC’s first
project, was a major step towards
FPCC’s goal of developing 300
permanent studios for artists and
the development of Fort Point as
a major cultural district for the (Above) Lobby at Midway Studios. (Below) Robert Kuehn speaks at Midway Studios ground break-
ing celebration. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Councilor Jim Kelly on left.
City of Boston. In 2008 FPCC
advised on the purchase and development of 241 A Street. FPCC is
currently working with Commonwealth Ventures on predevelopment
planning for 5 Channel Center. This mixed use building will house 41
live/work studios, 35 rental apartments and 5 commercial spaces. It will
be another step in our work to ensure that Boston’s largest arts com-
munity has a permanent home.
Along with these real estate projects FPCC plays an ongoing advocacy
role, promoting public understanding of the importance of the cultural
community in Fort Point and the artists living there. In 2007 Robert Kuehn, founder of
KDC died suddenly. The assets of
Keen Development Corporation (KDC) is a real estate development
his estate are professionally man-
company specializing in historic rehabilitation and adaptive reuse.
aged by Daniel Taylor, a long time
KDC has a long-standing dedication to the creation of attractive and Boston real estate attorney. In ad-
affordable housing. Over the past 20 years, KDC has developed nearly dition, Scott Dumont acts as Asset
3,000 units of housing, employing both government funding programs Manger for real estate. Mr. Dumont
and conventional financing. The company is well known for its public has over 25 years experience in
service commitment, frequently joint venturing with community-based various aspects of real estate de-
organizations and otherwise participating in public/private partnerships. velopment and management.
6. 6
The first floor houses a dramatic two story space and office/retail space for cultural organizations and arts-related businesses.
Photo studio set up for
Annual Fort Point Open
Studios.
Comic book artists at work.
Elevin Photo Studio
7. Background
7
In 1999, a group of neighborhood artists and non-profit arts organizations joined
together to form the Fort Point Cultural Coalition (FPCC) as an impending crisis
threatened to displace New England’s largest arts community. Twenty-five years earli-
er, artists had begun to set up studios in Fort Point’s underutilized warehouses, trans-
forming the district into a flourishing neighborhood of
more than 500 visual artists, arts organizations and arts-
related businesses.
FPCC and KDC joined forces in 2003 and the result, after three years
of planning and negotiation was Midway Studios. As the largest artist
studio building in Boston it quickly became a significant contributor to
the neighborhood’s cultural economy and an anchor for the Channel
Center development.
(Above) Fort Point Artists with decorated hard
hats serve donuts to the crowd at the Midway
Studios Ground Breaking Ceremony.
(Left) Mayor Thomas M. Menino addresses
crowd at the Midway Studios Ground Breaking
Ceremony.
Due to the current economic crisis, the redevelopment of the South Boston Waterfront has slowed but
there continues to be tremendous interest in Fort Point and many developments have overcome significant
obstacles to come on line. Top 5, a new expansion to the convention center has been announced and is
moving into the next stage of planning. Berkeley Investments developed FP3., a mixed use complex on
Congress Street that includes three Barbara Lynch restaurants. Projects that have moved forward include:
Archon Goldman’s 319 A Street, 311 Summer Street (ADD Inc), and across the channel, Boston Properties
Atlantic Wharf.
Within Channel Center, development has continued with the lease up of the A Street office buildings, the
development of office and restaurants at 241 A Street and the proposed development of 142,000 square feet
of mixed use space at 5 Channel Center.
8. Project Statistics
Total square footage: 192,338
Residential square footage: 161,003 ( 84% )
Commercial square footage: 31,335 ( 16% )
Total Residential Units: 89 units
Affordability Composition
Market rate: 53 units
50% AMI: 18 units
80% AMI: 12 units
120% AMI: 6 units
Average unit size: 1358 square feet
Average rent per unit/mo:
Market rate: $1987
50% AMI: $ 949
80% AMI: $1654
120% AMI: $2071
10. Property
Management
Midway Studios is managed by HallKeen Management, a full-service real estate property
management company based in Norwood, Massachusetts, with regional offices in Springfield, Massachu-
setts and Portland, Maine. HallKeen Management manages a diverse portfolio of residential and commercial
properties. HallKeen is proud to be an AMO® designated firm through the Institute of Real Estate Manage-
ment (IREM).
HallKeen’s current portfolio includes more than 5,000 units of multi family residential housing in sixty-one sep-
arate partnerships, 258 units of assisted living residences in four partnerships, and approximately 1.5 million
square feet of commercial space, inclusive of light industrial, office and biotech laboratory space. HallKeen
has a strong presence throughout New England, North Carolina and Virginia. While retaining prime focus on
affordable housing, HallKeen manages a diverse portfolio of residential housing, commercial properties and
assisted living communities.
HallKeen is staffed by a group of dedicated, experienced, and highly motivated individuals. There are 36 em-
ployees working at the central office in Norwood, and more than 350 employees working at the various sites.
Andrew P. Burnes, President, runs the day-to-day affairs of the company.
Property operations are overseen by Scott Dumont from KDC and Anita Lauricella from FPCC.
Some artists gather for a group photo.