2019 UPDATE
by E. Stephen
HISTORY & GOALS
The Torrent Engine 18 Firehouse (TE18 for short) was built in 1869.
2019 marks the 150th anniversary of TE18's construction.
In 2012 Katrina and I purchased TE18 from a church congregation.
Our goal is for the ground floor to serve as temple of art and culture, containing "The Empire SNAFU Restoration Project", (more about that later) and to serve as a gathering place, venue, and anchor for performing arts, film, music, science, and open exchange of ideas.
We intend to live-stream events and provide quality audio/video documentation to performers.
We believe there need not be a contradiction between ethically managing a "safe space" and presenting "dangerous" ideas.
In troubled times, it is the responsibility of the arts to provide a sandbox for testing the uncomfortable.
The ground-floor of TE18 is wide open, and should comfortably contain an audience of over 100 people.
The 12 foot ceilings make the room feel spacious even when packed.
It has multiple exits, a concrete floor, and is already nearly handicapped-accessible, rendering visitors safer from fire than most "underground" arts-spaces.
There are spaces around town that can fit audiences of less than 50 people. And there are a number of venues that are great for shows with 300+ people.
But I love 100ish people as an audience size, and it's a capacity that's hard to find around Boston at the moment.
Katrina and I would consolidate costs by living on the upper floor of TE18, and also have provide a guest-bedroom to performers who've traveled from a distance.
If you've known Katrina and me for a long time, you know we have a lifetime dedication to the arts, and a dedication to making things happen.
And if you know us only via our FaceBook profiles, you probably have a feel for the blend of culture, science, social issues we find relevant.
We want to bring that mix of interests to life, with the real people sharing creating that culture in the same room together, with a focus on Boston based creators, and the goal of creating cross-pollination between social circles that don't usually interact. (AKA "de-siloing")
It is also our goal to dedicate part of the space as a posthumous archive to the work of my deceased friend, and sometimes collaborator, Lisa Bufano, and to have an artist residency program in her name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Bufano
MORE ABOUT EMPIRE SNAFU
The main room of TE18 would be the long-term home of the Empire SNAFU Restoration Project, including both the NIDUS-MONAD temple, and a workshop for continued construction of the Empire SNAFU Restoration Project.
Empire SNAFU is a massive installation with more layers than I can fully explain here. It's based on a series of visions I had during a prolonged fever when I was 12.
Empire SNAFU is a modular, multimedia sculptural temple made of discarded machinery, ephemera and animal bones, with audio and video components.
It depicts the fall of the American empire (and the potential salvation of humanity) thru the eyes of a deceased, gender-neutral, semi-autobiographical persona named SNAFU.
I worked full time on building Empire SNAFU between 1986 and 2012.
I have produced well received Empire SNAFU events all over Boston and NYC.
Empire SNAFU has never been about marketing salable objects. It's about fine-tuning a full-sensory physical experience for the people who experience it.
https://www.instagram.com/empires.n.a.f.u/
WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO NEED SO MUCH MONEY FOR?
When we bought TE18, we knew it needed repairs. But despite research and inspection prior to purchase, we were not prepared for all the hidden expenses. We made enormous progress in the first few years, but the past few years have been slow going.
(Perhaps someday we'll write a book about all the catastrophes we've been thru with TE18.)
TE18 has beautiful bones and enormous potential, but as is, we basically have a moist, unheated, brick barn.
TE18 desperately needs a whole new roof, including repairs to damaged woodwork and masonry before the new roof can be installed.
Our next fundraising goal is to raise $150,000 to deal with all the roof related issues, other water infiltration issues/drainage issues, and black mold remediation.
Having reasonably watertight structure will buy us a lot of time, and make other stages of continuing work on the building practical.
The building also requires all new windows, doors, flooring, plumbing, drainage, regrading, electrical, handicapped accessibility features, insulation, soundproofing, heating and ventilation etc…
It is our goal to rehab TE18 to be green and energy efficient, with solar panels, maybe small wind turbines to take advantage of the constant sea-breeze, and possibly a greenhouse for vegetables.
Building green is the right thing to do, (and is somewhat legally mandated)
Its economical in the long run. But the initial expense is high even with the aide green building grants.
If we're lucky with donated labor, materials, equipment, etc, we might get TE18 full functional for less than $500,000. But we can't count on that. And the truth is, for work of this magnitude, it's usually best to pay skilled labor a fair rate for a job well done.
It is quite likely, our total required budget would be close to 1 million dollars
One million is a comparatively small budget for a project of this scope.
For instance, back in 2011, the restoration of another Boston firehouse of similar age and size, cost 2.5 million dollars.
The Out of The Blue Art Gallery had to vacate their space in Central Square, because the landlord was charging $120,000 per year just to rent.
Gutted triple-deckers around Somerville routinely sell for over a million.
If you want a million dollar property in "move-in" condition around Boston, most of the options are 1 bedroom condos.
The Boston ICA blows thru a million dollars every time it sneezes.
If we succeed, we'll be providing a lot of bang for the buck.
FUNDRAISING GOALS
In artist/musician dollars, a million dollars is huge money, and to achieve that goal we must reach beyond our immediate circles of friends and community
We're NOT seeking bank financing or loans. It's unlikely we could sustain both a weird, non-profit art space and a million dollar loan.
It is our intent to begin with smaller fundraisers and let their success or failure determine our path.
People always ask how they can help.
What we need most is actual help raising money.
We welcome anyone who can help us with publicity, or who has skills in seeking fundraising and grant writing.
Connections to influential or famous people are useful too. Public endorsements from famous weirdos are important, even if they don't donate cash.
If you have a cousin with a backhoe, bobcat, or dump truck, that is also useful!
We will be compiling a wish list of other stuff we potentially need.
I will be organizing some planning meetings for interested parties in coming months.
DIFFICULTIES
Katrina and I are exhausted from running in place to cover expenses and we lack the resources get off that treadmill.
The years since we bought TE18 have been rough.
I'm in my mid 40s. I've had some serious physical health problems that were exacerbated by doing demolition on TE18.
If you've been thru something similar, you know it's never easy when your body forces you to reassess what you're capable of.
In the years since we got TE18 I've also watched multiple friends whom I loved and respected die from a variety of causes.
Asking for help is one of the most difficult things.
And grief and survivor's guilt bring a very real form of paralysis.
As I scroll thru my newsfeed and read of the catastrophes directly hitting my friends, and the world at large, it's easy to fall into a doom spiral.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I still wrestle with that paralysis daily.
But I am still alive, and I believe that the creation of art and culture are a necessary part of the process of improving human life.
Even if art can't save us, it makes our time here more bearable.
And with luck, some art survives to let people of future generations know that they are never alone.
Making art is the only thing I've ever been any good at, and the only thing that makes me feel as though there's a place for me in the world.
I haven't had a studio space since we bought TE18.
My mind is still full of unbuilt art. We are all only here for a short time, and especially in the wake of watching other artists die, I feel the need to disgorge those ideas into the world before I'm gone too.
For me, constructing Empire SNAFU, and having a space where interaction can occur with other performers and audience are interwoven facets of a single dream.
One fear obstructing me is that if I get the nuances wrong while fundraising for TE18, it might later seem that I was operating under false pretenses.
(As in: "What a fucking con! They said they were making a community center, but instead, that person is using the place to make their own weird art!")
My gut feeling is that to avoid any appearance of impropriety, it's probably best if I fundraiser as an individual, seeking artist grants.
And when things work out, people can be pleasantly surprised that the insane temple of art also serves as a place for creative community to grow.
The old "art infrastructure" doesn't support living performers and artists.
New cultural models need to evolve.
IF we can clear the initial hurdle of having a functional, usable building, we have a rare opportunity to create a sustainable cultural center in an urban area, without being vulnerable to the whims of landlords.
We know the odds are stacked against funding the arts, but we believe it's worth it to keep fighting for a future for Boston's artists, performers, dreamers, thinkers, and weirdoes.
As much as this project is a long shot, Katrina and I still stand better odds of making it work than most people.
But regardless of how much we both believe in the dream, we cannot keep going without actual help and influx of resources.
Tax deductible donations may be made here:
http://www.torrentengine18.org/donatevolunteer.html
The Torrent Engine 18 Firehouse (TE18 for short) was built in 1869.
2019 marks the 150th anniversary of TE18's construction.
In 2012 Katrina and I purchased TE18 from a church congregation.
Our goal is for the ground floor to serve as temple of art and culture, containing "The Empire SNAFU Restoration Project", (more about that later) and to serve as a gathering place, venue, and anchor for performing arts, film, music, science, and open exchange of ideas.
We intend to live-stream events and provide quality audio/video documentation to performers.
We believe there need not be a contradiction between ethically managing a "safe space" and presenting "dangerous" ideas.
In troubled times, it is the responsibility of the arts to provide a sandbox for testing the uncomfortable.
The ground-floor of TE18 is wide open, and should comfortably contain an audience of over 100 people.
The 12 foot ceilings make the room feel spacious even when packed.
It has multiple exits, a concrete floor, and is already nearly handicapped-accessible, rendering visitors safer from fire than most "underground" arts-spaces.
There are spaces around town that can fit audiences of less than 50 people. And there are a number of venues that are great for shows with 300+ people.
But I love 100ish people as an audience size, and it's a capacity that's hard to find around Boston at the moment.
Katrina and I would consolidate costs by living on the upper floor of TE18, and also have provide a guest-bedroom to performers who've traveled from a distance.
If you've known Katrina and me for a long time, you know we have a lifetime dedication to the arts, and a dedication to making things happen.
And if you know us only via our FaceBook profiles, you probably have a feel for the blend of culture, science, social issues we find relevant.
We want to bring that mix of interests to life, with the real people sharing creating that culture in the same room together, with a focus on Boston based creators, and the goal of creating cross-pollination between social circles that don't usually interact. (AKA "de-siloing")
It is also our goal to dedicate part of the space as a posthumous archive to the work of my deceased friend, and sometimes collaborator, Lisa Bufano, and to have an artist residency program in her name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Bufano
MORE ABOUT EMPIRE SNAFU
The main room of TE18 would be the long-term home of the Empire SNAFU Restoration Project, including both the NIDUS-MONAD temple, and a workshop for continued construction of the Empire SNAFU Restoration Project.
Empire SNAFU is a massive installation with more layers than I can fully explain here. It's based on a series of visions I had during a prolonged fever when I was 12.
Empire SNAFU is a modular, multimedia sculptural temple made of discarded machinery, ephemera and animal bones, with audio and video components.
It depicts the fall of the American empire (and the potential salvation of humanity) thru the eyes of a deceased, gender-neutral, semi-autobiographical persona named SNAFU.
I worked full time on building Empire SNAFU between 1986 and 2012.
I have produced well received Empire SNAFU events all over Boston and NYC.
Empire SNAFU has never been about marketing salable objects. It's about fine-tuning a full-sensory physical experience for the people who experience it.
https://www.instagram.com/empires.n.a.f.u/
WHAT THE FUCK DO WE DO NEED SO MUCH MONEY FOR?
When we bought TE18, we knew it needed repairs. But despite research and inspection prior to purchase, we were not prepared for all the hidden expenses. We made enormous progress in the first few years, but the past few years have been slow going.
(Perhaps someday we'll write a book about all the catastrophes we've been thru with TE18.)
TE18 has beautiful bones and enormous potential, but as is, we basically have a moist, unheated, brick barn.
TE18 desperately needs a whole new roof, including repairs to damaged woodwork and masonry before the new roof can be installed.
Our next fundraising goal is to raise $150,000 to deal with all the roof related issues, other water infiltration issues/drainage issues, and black mold remediation.
Having reasonably watertight structure will buy us a lot of time, and make other stages of continuing work on the building practical.
The building also requires all new windows, doors, flooring, plumbing, drainage, regrading, electrical, handicapped accessibility features, insulation, soundproofing, heating and ventilation etc…
It is our goal to rehab TE18 to be green and energy efficient, with solar panels, maybe small wind turbines to take advantage of the constant sea-breeze, and possibly a greenhouse for vegetables.
Building green is the right thing to do, (and is somewhat legally mandated)
Its economical in the long run. But the initial expense is high even with the aide green building grants.
If we're lucky with donated labor, materials, equipment, etc, we might get TE18 full functional for less than $500,000. But we can't count on that. And the truth is, for work of this magnitude, it's usually best to pay skilled labor a fair rate for a job well done.
It is quite likely, our total required budget would be close to 1 million dollars
One million is a comparatively small budget for a project of this scope.
For instance, back in 2011, the restoration of another Boston firehouse of similar age and size, cost 2.5 million dollars.
The Out of The Blue Art Gallery had to vacate their space in Central Square, because the landlord was charging $120,000 per year just to rent.
Gutted triple-deckers around Somerville routinely sell for over a million.
If you want a million dollar property in "move-in" condition around Boston, most of the options are 1 bedroom condos.
The Boston ICA blows thru a million dollars every time it sneezes.
If we succeed, we'll be providing a lot of bang for the buck.
FUNDRAISING GOALS
In artist/musician dollars, a million dollars is huge money, and to achieve that goal we must reach beyond our immediate circles of friends and community
We're NOT seeking bank financing or loans. It's unlikely we could sustain both a weird, non-profit art space and a million dollar loan.
It is our intent to begin with smaller fundraisers and let their success or failure determine our path.
People always ask how they can help.
What we need most is actual help raising money.
We welcome anyone who can help us with publicity, or who has skills in seeking fundraising and grant writing.
Connections to influential or famous people are useful too. Public endorsements from famous weirdos are important, even if they don't donate cash.
If you have a cousin with a backhoe, bobcat, or dump truck, that is also useful!
We will be compiling a wish list of other stuff we potentially need.
I will be organizing some planning meetings for interested parties in coming months.
DIFFICULTIES
Katrina and I are exhausted from running in place to cover expenses and we lack the resources get off that treadmill.
The years since we bought TE18 have been rough.
I'm in my mid 40s. I've had some serious physical health problems that were exacerbated by doing demolition on TE18.
If you've been thru something similar, you know it's never easy when your body forces you to reassess what you're capable of.
In the years since we got TE18 I've also watched multiple friends whom I loved and respected die from a variety of causes.
Asking for help is one of the most difficult things.
And grief and survivor's guilt bring a very real form of paralysis.
As I scroll thru my newsfeed and read of the catastrophes directly hitting my friends, and the world at large, it's easy to fall into a doom spiral.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I still wrestle with that paralysis daily.
But I am still alive, and I believe that the creation of art and culture are a necessary part of the process of improving human life.
Even if art can't save us, it makes our time here more bearable.
And with luck, some art survives to let people of future generations know that they are never alone.
Making art is the only thing I've ever been any good at, and the only thing that makes me feel as though there's a place for me in the world.
I haven't had a studio space since we bought TE18.
My mind is still full of unbuilt art. We are all only here for a short time, and especially in the wake of watching other artists die, I feel the need to disgorge those ideas into the world before I'm gone too.
For me, constructing Empire SNAFU, and having a space where interaction can occur with other performers and audience are interwoven facets of a single dream.
One fear obstructing me is that if I get the nuances wrong while fundraising for TE18, it might later seem that I was operating under false pretenses.
(As in: "What a fucking con! They said they were making a community center, but instead, that person is using the place to make their own weird art!")
My gut feeling is that to avoid any appearance of impropriety, it's probably best if I fundraiser as an individual, seeking artist grants.
And when things work out, people can be pleasantly surprised that the insane temple of art also serves as a place for creative community to grow.
The old "art infrastructure" doesn't support living performers and artists.
New cultural models need to evolve.
IF we can clear the initial hurdle of having a functional, usable building, we have a rare opportunity to create a sustainable cultural center in an urban area, without being vulnerable to the whims of landlords.
We know the odds are stacked against funding the arts, but we believe it's worth it to keep fighting for a future for Boston's artists, performers, dreamers, thinkers, and weirdoes.
As much as this project is a long shot, Katrina and I still stand better odds of making it work than most people.
But regardless of how much we both believe in the dream, we cannot keep going without actual help and influx of resources.
Tax deductible donations may be made here:
http://www.torrentengine18.org/donatevolunteer.html
