CultureHouse

CultureHouse enhances livability in local communities by transforming underutilized spaces into vibrant social infrastructure. Through partnerships with local organizations, they identify community needs and opportunities, using a process grounded in research, engagement, and hands-on design. Their approach emphasizes inclusivity and accessibility, incorporating input from advisory groups and residents to ensure that each space reflects the community it serves.

Using tactical urbanist methods, CultureHouse designs and builds pop-up and semi-permanent spaces that invite interaction and foster connection. From community pop-ups and special projects to experimental “test kitchen” initiatives, their work brings underused spaces to life. By providing programming, collecting data, and reporting impact, they create lasting change and offer a roadmap for future development.

City

Boston

Country

United States

Region

N. America

Year of Creation

2016

Featured Project

Winter City Sauna

In order to activate Boston’s public spaces in the winter and increase connection and happiness, CultureHouse brought a mobile pop-up sauna to Boston City Hall Plaza in the winter of 2024. For 6 weeks, the non-profit transformed a corner of the plaza into a new kind of public space, somewhere connective and community-centered, a rarity in the United States. By providing a (free) source of warmth and an activity that encouraged conversation between the city’s diverse residents, the Boston Public Sauna pilot program strived to foster a sense of vibrancy to build towards healthier communities year-round.

Winter City Sauna

Resources

Cooper, Emily and Aaron Greiner. “The impact of a walkable, pop-up space in one Massachusetts community.” Barr Foundation, 8 Feb. 2022, https://www.barrfoundation.org/blog/culturehouse-building-resilient-communities/.

Greiner, Aaron. “How a Library Is Reimagining Public Wi-Fi during COVID-19.” Project for Public Spaces, 7 Feb. 2021, https://www.pps.org/article/how-a-library-is-reimagining-public-wi-fi-during-covid-19.

Harkins, Jill. “Boston’s Free CultureHouse Pop-Ups May Be on Their Way to Philadelphia.” The Philadelphia Citizen, 2 Dec. 2019, https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/culturehouse-boston-philadelphia/.

Harrop, Katelyn, and Darryl C. Murphy. “Grab Your Towel, We’re Hitting the City Hall Plaza Sauna.” WBUR, 6 Feb. 2024, https://www.wbur.org/the-common/2024/02/06/sauna-city-hall-plaza-boston.

Hilliard, John. “The Pop-Up Space in Peabody That Served as a Community Hub Is Closing for Now.” The Boston Globe, 23 Sept. 2021, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/23/metro/pop-up-space-peabody-served-community-hub/.

“In Cambridge, Artists and Nonprofits Liven Up the Retail Landscape.” NBC Boston, 30 Dec. 2019, https://www.nbcboston.com/investigations/cambridge-artists-nonprofits-fill-retail-vacancies/2052817.

MilNeil, Christian. “CultureHouse in Kendall Square Brings ‘Tactical Urbanism’ Indoors.” StreetsblogMASS, 16 Aug. 2019, https://mass.streetsblog.org/2019/08/16/culturehouse-in-kendall-square-brings-tactical-urbanism-indoors.

Peters, Adele. “This Nonprofit Turns Vacant Storefronts into Pop-Up Communal Spaces.” Fast Company, 30 Jan. 2020, https://www.fastcompany.com/90458226/this-nonprofit-turns-vacant-storefronts-into-pop-up-communal-spaces.

Quinn, Cristina. “Harvard Square’s Out of Town News Gets a Second Chance as a Community Space.” GBH News, 18 Oct. 2019, https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2019-10-18/harvard-squares-out-of-town-news-gets-a-second-chance-as-a-community-space.

Surico, John. “From Dead Store to Pop-Up ‘Social Infrastructure’.” Bloomberg CityLab, 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-10/from-dead-store-to-pop-up-social-infrastructure.

Willett, Jay. “Block Party in a Box: Boston Supplies Kits to Liven Up City Streets.” WBZ NewsRadio, 29 July 2022, https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/content/block-party-in-a-box-boston-supplies-kits-to-liven-up-city-streets/.

More Information

culturehouse.cc

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