Four years ago, disaster struck the Living Faith Methodist Church. The ceiling collapsed and this church and grand Ipswich landmark was forced to close. As challenging repairs have been underway, Ipswich Citizens For The Arts, a cultural advocacy group, proposed the creation of The Ipswich Community House.
The proposed Ipswich Community House sits atop Ipswich’s Town Hill. It is adjacent to a pair of historic buildings, which house the popular Sandpiper Bakery and the Ipswich Public Library. Our goal is to create a shared venue that will serve the congregation and provide a vibrant new cultural hub for the town.
Ipswich is a town full of artistic energy looking for a place to bloom. As we emerge from two years of Covid induced isolation, it is a time of rebirth, with all the freshness and promise that suggests. But space has always been an issue. The Ipswich Community House will broaden the programming possibilities for local organizations such as the Orchestra on the Hill, Castle Hill Productions, North Shore Swing Dance, the Ipswich Community Band, Ipswich Recreation & Culture, and the Ipswich Public Library. A shared use of the building will provide performance space for music, theater, dance, and art. Local, regional, perhaps even national, performers could appear in the venue, allowing the town, and the region as a whole, to experience professional cultural events in a small town setting.
Funds have already been invested in the renovation of the building. The roof has been repaired, new flooring installed and a host of other restorations undertaken. The work is not yet complete. Ipswich Citizens For The Arts has begun a collaboration to both complete the renovation and create this opportunity for the arts in Ipswich.
This is a generational opportunity. We see the Ipswich Community House enriching the cultural life of Ipswich for decades to come. There is much work still ahead, not the least of which is raising the funds to complete the construction and make the additions required to bring this vision to life. We have created a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for this work. If you have ideas or would like to get involved, contact Dan Lovy, Director, Ipswich Citizens for the Arts at danlovy1961@gmail.com.
Historic Ipswich 