After the Zeitgeist gallery shuttered in April, due to extensive smoke damage from a fire, Boston’s bohemian arts set was at a loss. Gallery staffers blamed the fire on a short circuit in one of the building’s water coolers. The damage was so extensive that the storied gallery had to leave its seven-year home, and artists were forced to seek out new venues for their avant-garde shows and performance pieces. (See "Change of Venue," This Just In, News and Features, May 2.)

But the bohemians needn’t brood any longer. In a quick twist, the Zeitgeist has already found new digs, in Cambridge’s Inman Square. The new space, however, is far from complete. The gallery, which is twice the size of the last venue, needs extensive renovation, including sheet-rocking and floor-sanding. Gallery director Alan Nidle says he hopes to open the doors in early July. But depending on how quickly the work goes, the opening may not come until September.

In the meantime, staffers are hard at work soliciting funds for increased rent, relocation costs, and renovations. In the next few months, supporters will host a series of benefits, which will be posted on the gallery’s Web site at www.zeitgeist-gallery.org. For example, a benefit for the Zeitgeist will take place this Saturday, June 29, at the Boston Dance Company, where jazz pianist Tony Perez will perform with members of the Fringe. "We’re just trying to get back on our feet again and get going," says Nidle. He estimates that two previous benefits yielded about $1500; but the gallery still needs "a few thousand" more.

Taking just three months to reopen didn’t leave a big window for rival galleries to step into the Zeitgeist’s shoes. Not that anyone in the art world was inclined to take advantage of its woes. In fact, the only other venue that does similarly eclectic programming, the Oni Gallery, is hosting an upcoming benefit for the Zeitgeist, on July 19.

Despite his good fortune, coming on the heels of such bad luck, Nidle seems ambivalent about the new location, noting that he hopes the increased traffic in Inman Square won’t diminish the underground spirit of the space. "We’re excited to be in Inman Square, which is going to be a different kind of a thing," he concludes slowly. "But there are more people there, more walk-ins. Uh, we want to still keep doing most of our programming. We don’t want to become completely commercial."

Saturday’s benefit takes place at Boston Dance Company, 550 Mass Ave, 3rd floor, in Cambridge, at 8:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $10. The Zeitgeist Gallery’s new space is located at 1353 Cambridge Street, in Cambridge. Visit www.zeitgeist-gallery.org for information about upcoming benefit shows in July.