Live at WAS

WAS is.

Western Avenue Studios (or WAS) is evolving into one of those great success stories, the kind where everybody wins. After a major industrial user left the site four years ago, BPV Lowell respositioned the site to serve a growing need in the arts community for affordable studio space in Lowell. With some imaginative planning, and close collaboration with city leaders, BPV Lowell was able to rescue this century-old factory building in the heart of Lowell and turn it into a thriving artists’ community. Read more about our background...

BPV Lowell will be offering 46 affordably-priced live/work lofts to the local arist community. The initial plan is to rent the units and at a later time sell the units to the tenants as a coop. These live/work lofts, like the studios, are designed and priced to meet the needs of the arts community without any income restrictions. As a result, what was once just another ramshackle old mill on Western Avenue is now an economic boon to the City of Lowell, a cultural icon, and a magnet for artists from around the region. In fact, WAS now houses one of the largest concentrations of working artists in the northeastern U.S. These studios are designed to be attractive but affordable options for artists residing on site. We anticipate the units will be fitted out as detailed below:

 

A Guide to the Details

Interior Details

  • Sealed concrete floors
  • Vinyl base
  • 3’x7’ doors with lever handles
  • Finish coat ready walls (taped, sanded and 1 coat of white primer)
  • Convenient interior laundry pre-plumbed for washer and gas dryer and artist slop sink
  • 3” thermafiber sound insulation with resilient channels and sound caulking
  • 14’ minimum ceilings with vaulted ceilings in certain locations

Kitchen

  • White thermafoil lower cabinets
  • Wilsonart laminate countertops with 4” backsplash
  • Stainless steel top-mount single bowl sink
  • Chrome faucet
  • GE 30” Self-Cleaning Gas Range – white

Bathroom

  • Sterling by Kohler Pedestal Sink
  • Elongated Toilet
  • Faucet and shower controls in chrome finish
  • Fiberglass tub and shower combination
  • Electrical and climate control

Mechanical / Electrical

  • Telephone outlet at kitchen
  • Cat V outlet
  • Electrical outlets per code
  • Forced air heating system
  • 40-gallon gas powered water heater

Interested?