September 4, 2020
OXFORD, MASSACHUSETTS — bankHometown recently donated $20,000 to the BrickBox, a new 10,000-square-foot performance venue currently under construction at 20 Franklin Street, Worcester.
The BrickBox’s state of the art design provides creative, flexible space to host events including theater, dance, film, and conferences, and can house up to 299 people. Together, the BrickBox and the Worcester PopUP—a "permanent popup" that offers a place for local artists, organizations, and creatives to develop a variety of events ranging from art shows and open mics to yoga classes—are housed in the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC).
The project, representing a public-private partnership between Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) and the Worcester Cultural Coalition (WCC), broke ground last summer as part of the ongoing revitalization of the former Worcester Telegram & Gazette headquarters in the city’s downtown. Redevelopment of the 20 Franklin Street facility began in 2012, and now houses the downtown campus of Quinsigamond Community College, the Worcester Idea Lab – co-working and office space for local innovators and entrepreneurs—and high tech companies such as ten24 Digital Solutions. The facility will also welcome WGBH’s Worcester bureau in fall 2020.
“This project represents an important addition to an already remarkable creative reactivation in downtown Worcester,” said bankHometown President and CEO Robert J. Morton. “We are proud to be part of this exciting cultural initiative. Our donation is an extension of bankHometown’s continued commitment to Worcester, marked by the recent opening of our second branch in the city on Grove Street, as well as the communities that surround it.”
