FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 2, 2025
Star Store Building on Path to Redevelopment
NEW BEDFORD, MA – Mayor Jon Mitchell and the New Bedford Economic Development Council (NBEDC) announced Monday that agreements are in place to reopen the former Star Store building under new ownership as a regional arts hub.
The NBEDC and the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston (A&BC) have entered into a memorandum of understanding in which A&BC will make the necessary investments to preserve the Star Store building and, through a robust collaborative public engagement process, operate it as a nationally-recognized, publicly accessible that will be to serve as an economic engine for Greater New Bedford and elevate the City’s national stature as a center for the arts.
A&BC’s rehabilitation of the building will include mechanical system upgrades, and repairs to the roof, façade, and interior. The facility will be launched following a robust, arts-and-culture-focused needs assessment.
The A&BC will also take primary responsibility in identifying and securing necessary funding sources. The NBEDC will provide communications, consulting, advocacy and strategic planning support. Although A&BC is based in Boston, the facility will have a New Bedford-based brand.
A well-capitalized nonprofit with an experienced board and extensive philanthropic support, the A&BC strives to empower artists, creators and creative organization with the tools and services they need to succeed, from low-cost studio space to pro-bono legal support, artistic-practice programs, and fiscal-sponsorship services to support creative communities. It has redeveloped large buildings in other Massachusetts cities to serve these purposes. One of its most successful projects is the Western Avenue Studios & Lofts in Lowell, Massachusetts, where A&BC reimagined a 200,000-square-foot mill building into artist work and living spaces, galleries, a brewery, coffee shop and offices that is not only fully occupied, but has a robust waiting list.
“This partnership between the NBEDC and the A&BC lays the foundation for the Star Store’s reactivation as an anchor institution and economic driver in Downtown New Bedford,” Mayor Mitchell said. “The A&BC has a proven track record of success with arts-based developments, and they will be a welcome addition to our City.”
The building has been vacant since September 2023, when UMass Dartmouth announced that it was moving its College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) to its main campus. The CVPA operated in the Star Store building for more than 20 years, and was the successor to the Swain School of Design, which had operated in New Bedford for more than a century. The Star Store had originally operated as a full-service department store. With 150,000 square feet of floor space on four floors, it was the region’s retail epicenter.
After UMass Dartmouth’s departure from the Star Store, the City and EDC commissioned the national real estate consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle to study potential uses for the building. The study concluded that although the building was in good condition, it is configured in such a way that limited future uses. The study found that while residential, office or hotel uses would require cost-prohibitive retro-fittings, the building could support artist studios or classrooms. These types of uses typically are done by not-for-profit entities such as universities or arts consortia.
With this in mind, and knowing that empty buildings tend to deteriorate with the passage of time and become more costly to renovate, the City moved to spur the building’s redevelopment. In 2024, the City filed a tax lien complaint against the building in state Land Court seeking foreclosure over unpaid taxes, accelerating the timetable for the building’s sale or development. Meanwhile, the City and the NBEDC sought development partners to acquire the building. A&BC expressed interest in the building, and entered into discussions with the NBEDC on a partnership to turn the building into a hub for the arts.
A&BC then needed to acquire the building from its owner, Paul Downey, whose tax liability in turn needed to be resolved. After months of review and negotiation, Downey and the City entered into an agreement resolving his outstanding property taxes, which was approved by the Massachusetts Division of Local Services and the New Bedford Board of Assessors. Last week, having cleared the title to the building, Downey donated it to A&BC.
The A&BC has already begun work on the building and will continue the repairs while it takes the next step, the public engagement process. An advisory committee will be formed to guide the process, which will include an arts-and-culture focused needs assessment. After repairs and public engagement, the A&BC will redevelop and relaunch the Star Store as a regional arts, culture and creative hub. People are encouraged to visit StarStoreNB.org to keep up to date on the progress.
“I am grateful for the efforts of the City’s team to position the Star Store for redevelopment, and the NBEDC for its engagement of A&BC, which will be a terrific addition to an already vibrant arts scene,” Mayor Mitchell said. “I look forward to working with A&BC to maximize the full potential of this historic and beautiful building.”
“The NBEDC has long championed New Bedford as a creative hub, and with the NB Creative Consortium, has made the arts and the creative economy an essential economic development force. The arts-based piece of our economy serves as an elemental thread that weaves together the fabric of our city, enhancing our broader economic development agenda,” NBEDC Chairman Anthony Sapienza said. “A&BC is a state-wide organization that promotes the arts, manages creative arts facilities, and invests in the creative workforce. We are delighted that the partnership NBEDC has forged with A&BC will ensure that the Star Store returns to the prominence it previously enjoyed as a home for the creative and artistic community in New Bedford.”
“We could not be more grateful for the leadership of Mayor Mitchell and the NBEDC and for the opportunity to serve the City of New Bedford and its incredible community of makers, artists, and small creative businesses,” said A&BC Director of Real Estate and Fundraising Matt McArthur, who is the point-person for the Star Store project. “Today marks the beginning of many months of hard work to listen, understand, plan, fundraise, renovate, and relaunch the Star Store in support of a thriving, intergenerational, and joyful creative community in New Bedford.”
“Arts and culture have been foundational to the identity of Downtown New Bedford,” Rep. Tony Cabral said. “The closure of the Star Store was a devastating loss for the community and the vitality of our Downtown. The redevelopment of the Star Store as a regional arts hub brings life back into this space. I am excited that the Star Store will remain a place for the arts, and I thank the city for pursuing this issue.”
“Today’s announcement that the Star Store will move forward in alignment with New Bedford’s vision for a thriving arts and culture corridor is welcome news,” said State Rep. Mark Sylvia. “This demonstrates our shared commitment to revitalizing downtown and strengthening our creative economy.”
“I am pleased that the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston is going to take over the building,” Downey said. “This will ensure that the thriving arts community that has evolved in Downtown New Bedford since UMass located the College of Visual and Performing Arts to the Star Store will continue to grow.”
Photo description: Two men shake hands in front of the Star Store building in downtown New Bedford on Monday, June 2, 2025.
Photo Credit: Peter Pereira