Boarded-up warehouses turned into a blank canvas
The long-awaited Midway Studios is throwing an opening party this week.
The $23 million development designated exclusively for artists in three newly renovated warehouses has nearly 40 tenants so far.
The goal of the development is to offer permanent, affordable living and working space to artists and help preserve the neighborhood's artistic character in the face of ever-encroaching development.
Anita Lauricella, president of the Fort Point Development Collaborative, which partnered with Keen Development Corp. on the project, hopes it will reverse the flight of artists from downtown.
''The whole point is to prevent the area from turning into lawyers' lofts," she said.
The coalition, a nonprofit arts advocacy group made up of artists and arts organizations, acquired the boarded-up warehouses with 206,000 square feet of space from developer Beacon Capital Partners in 2003. In exchange for their agreement to build affordable housing, Beacon sold them the property for $1.
Construction delays have hampered efforts to secure retail and office tenants for the first floor, said Lauricella, who's now talking with owners of a small gourmet market and with several design firms about moving in.
A large, two-story space in the lobby area is also still up for grabs.
A welcoming party and building tour will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. with Mayor Thomas M. Menino, representatives from the Boston Redevelopment Authority and
CHRISTINA PAZZANESE 
