Community Corner

Vacancy Vision: What Should Fill This Empty Building in Davis Square?

Whatever moves into the old Social Security office will help define the neighborhood. What would you like to see there?

Update, Feb. 2: Charles River Realty, the real estate firm handling this property, said negotiations are currently under way for a new commercial tenant.

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Empty storefronts and unused commercial spaces are eyesores, but an empty storefront can also be an opportunity; they allow new, exciting, desired businesses to move into neighborhoods. 

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With "Vacancy Visions," we feature an empty space somewhere in the city and ask one question: If you were king or queen of Somerville, what would you put there?

Today's vacancy vision: the old Social Security office in Davis Square

The office, in the heart of Davis Square, closed down in the summer of 2010, and it's still empty today.

Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A discussion that summer on the Davis Square Live Journal community site indicates the space, before it was a Social Security office, was home to a small department store.

Chowhound, a popular food and dining website, notes Tasty Burger is planning to open a Davis Square location, and one commenter speculated the old Social Security office could be the spot it's looking at.

What do you want there?

If you were king or queen of Somerville, what would you put in that space?

Some suggestions:

  • A hardware store—Over the summer . A few people said they'd like a hardware store.
  • A grocery store—With nearby possibly closing down to become a frozen yogurt joint, Davis Square will be left with few places to buy basic groceries.


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