In Cambridge, a long-awaited venue stands to bring cultural boost
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Takeda Theater inside The Platform in Kendall Square. Photo: Courtesy of The Platform
Cambridge's tech hub stands to get a culture boost as The Platform, a 45,000-square-foot performing arts venue and community space, opens Saturday.
Why it matters: Kendall Square has a front-row seat to a rare sight — a mid-size performing arts venue opening as smaller venues increasingly shut their doors.
Catch up quick: The opening is a dream decades in the making for Cambridge residents, since tech philanthropist Glenn KnicKrehm pledged to build a grand concert hall on the site in the 1990s, per Cambridge Day.
- He sold the property in 2018 to BioMed Realty.
- The real estate developer ultimately developed the 16-story lab-and-office building at 585 Third St. (now 585 Kendall), creating a new headquarters for the pharmaceutical giant Takeda.
State of play: The Platform's crown jewel is the 400-seat Takeda Theater on the second floor.
- But the public's introduction to the space is a living room-style lobby lined with trees and shrubs that leads to the 125-seat Tempo Stage. There's also a bar and a café coming soon.
- Global Arts Live, an arts nonprofit, will oversee the space. (The organization has hosted performances since 1990 but has never had a venue of its own.)
What they're saying: "It's rare even to get this opportunity to open a brand new performing arts center, and yet also in Kendall Square," Connie Chin, CEO of Global Arts Live, told Axios.
- "Kendall Square is not known for its arts yet or its nightlife."
- The Platform not only brings a long-held dream to fruition, but it sparks hope in business owners that the venue's events will draw more foot traffic for nearby restaurants and shops, Chin added.
The big picture: Mid-size arts and music venues are an endangered species in Greater Boston's real estate market.
- Large venues holding thousands of seats have become popular over the past decade, as smaller venues have died out.
- The pandemic only accelerated their decline.
BioMed Realty said in 2022 it was committing more than $45 million to build the performing arts center, but a spokesperson declined to say how much the company had spent.
- Global Arts Live is fundraising $15 million as part of a multiyear campaign to cover operating and programming costs, Chin said.
Zoom in: GAL plans to set aside one-third of nights for its own programming and book other artists and arts organizations the rest of the year.
- The Platform plans to offer 25 free nights of rehearsals or events for the community, and plans to start taking applications soon.
What we're watching: Takeda is merging its two Cambridge campuses into the new headquarters in a net-zero building once construction is finished.
- For now, The Platform is the only active tenant.
If you go: The Platform will celebrate the opening Friday night with performances by the vertical dance company Bandaloop.
- The Takeda Theater will host the Boston premiere of "Sol Invictus" by French Algerian dance company Compagnie Hervé Koubi.
- A slate of performances is planned for Opening Day, including the Kendal Square Orchestra, The Bollywood Dance x Purnima and the Millennium Gospel Choir.