City of Cambridge Ends the Fashion History Museum Lease

The City of Cambridge has made the difficult decision to end the Fashion History Museum’s (FHM) lease at 74 Queen Street East due to significant unpaid rent totaling approximately $140,000, since June 2023, costs which would transfer to the taxpayer.
The FHM operates out of the main floor level in a commercial lease agreement, however, the museum curators live on-site in a second-floor apartment suite and have not provided payment for the space, as agreed to in their lease. The City is not in a position to provide an apartment suite to the FHM for its staff or others to live in rent free.
The decision to end the lease agreement follows an extensive process of engagement and negotiation since 2023 and multiple attempts to resolve the situation in a fair and amicable manner. Ending a lease is always a last resort and options were provided to the FHM which included: reduced rent payments, partial payment forgiveness, and a repayment plan.
The City acknowledges the contributions that arts and culture organizations make to our community but feel it would be unjust to continue to accumulate arrears and undue expenses to the community.
While we understand that this news will be disappointing to some, we want to assure the community that the City continues to invest in arts and culture. The funding process is competitive, the demand is high, and we must balance the needs of many groups and organizations with the financial realities of the City’s budget. While we regret that a resolution could not be met, we will turn our attention to how to best utilize the space in the future.