Vacancy Vision: What Should Fill The Cabot Farms Catering Space?

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. 

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: Cabot Farms Catering, a.k.a. Garden Club, near Powderhouse Rotary.

Most people who walk by this space do a double take. These days, anything with a vintage or "retro" vibe is cool, particularly in a hip place like Somerville, and especially during the current cocktail renaissance.

And here's this spot, blocks outside Davis Square and steps away from Tufts University, that's all those things, with a heavy dose of authenticity added to the mix, and it's empty!

Back in 2007, members of Davis Square Live Journal discussed the issue, and one person posted a short history of Cabot Farms, recalling its past as a club and function hall.

Jimmy Del Ponte, a fountain of Somerville history, wrote about the space in a 2010 column for the Somerville News and proposed a few of his own ideas for the spot.

So, what do you want there?

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

One suggestion:

This place screams "jazz" and "cocktails," and something like the Beehive, in the South End, could be cool.

Also, if you've got information and stories about this building, please share.