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XENOPHOBIA
Somerville pride

The historical tension between Cambridge and Somerville doesn’t seem that far removed from the Yankees–Red Sox rivalry. Cambridge has Harvard University, the George Steinbrenner of higher education. Cambridge tends to be more clean-cut, snooty, and sterile; Somerville is shaggy, blue collar, rugged. And Cambridge, as a whole, regards its working-class neighbor with a kind of patronizing indifference, while long-time Somervillians are a proud, impassioned bunch who tend to be suspicious of transplants.

That’s the legacy inherited by Cambridge residents Joseph and Nabil Sater, owners of the Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub, who recently committed to buying the 101-year-old Somerville Armory and turning it into a local arts center. A hulking, castle-like building with two stucco turrets and a drawbridge-shaped entrance, the Highland Avenue property has become a kind of historical landmark. So when the space went up for auction last spring, people feared a money-grubbing real-estate developer would buy the land, bulldoze the Armory, and cram in condos. Last year, a nonprofit group called ARTSomerville was formed specifically to establish a multicultural arts center, ideally in the Armory. But when the time came, ARTSomerville didn’t have the funds to buy the site. So the Saters, well-known supporters of the Cambridge arts community who helped resuscitate Club Passim in the mid ’90s, came to the rescue, pledging $2.6 million. The Boston Globe called them "possibly knights in shining armor to the local arts community."

Not everyone feels that way. The Saters are from Cambridge, and the Armory is in Somerville. So this past Monday evening at Anthony’s Function Hall, the Armory’s neighbors clobbered Joseph. Although Sater has sworn that he and his brother are not scheming to implant a nightclub there, that there will be only acoustic performances inside, and that he’ll work with them all the way, the neighbors are distrustful. The reason, mostly, is that the Saters are developing the Armory in two phases. Phase one involves the renovation of the existing Armory structure itself, which will include the installation of four living/working units, a coffee shop, and a dance/performance space; phase two involves constructing a residential structure behind the Armory with eight live/work artist apartments and additional parking floors. The Saters must apply for the first phase’s permits before the end of October; if they are granted, they plan to complete the first stage of construction within eight months.

But locals worry that the Saters may sneak provisions they don’t like into phase two. John Sullivan, who has appointed himself the unofficial ringleader of the Ward Five opposition squad, said at the last Armory meeting that he didn’t want a "marching band of 5000" ambushing his neighborhood. The 44-year-old has gone around inspecting the Middle East and getting reports from the Cambridge Police Department. "I met his neighbors a couple weeks ago," said Sullivan on Monday night, motioning toward Joseph Sater. "The two neighbors [I met] were sitting by the dumpster."

As Alderman Sean O’Donovan reminded the 70 or so attendees, most developers don’t open themselves up to neighborly dialogue or even speak without the mouthpiece of a lawyer. But Joseph Sater has promised to work with the local community; he’s encouraged residents to stop into the Middle East and made himself available to talk. And he’s been blunt: when someone asked how he planned to make money on this project, he admitted firmly, "I have no idea." Which prompted one suited, balding man to assert that Sater was either "extremely wealthy" or "very, very stupid." The man was clearly suspicious of Sater’s motives: "You can’t expect to come into this city and throw this down the neighbors’ throats." Meaning, more or less, we don’t want your Cantabrigian ass making decisions about our back yard.

Except for promises to arrange individual meetings, Monday night’s gathering didn’t end pleasantly. After John Sullivan and an alderman nearly got into a shouting match, O’Donovan tried to calm people down. "The Red Sox are losing two to one," he said. "Now, no more fights before we leave."


Issue Date: October 22 - 28, 2004
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